Drawn to Life: The Final Arc
by StylishRapo
Summary: It all started when a mighty Shadow Goo army invaded the Village, taking the Book of Life in exchange for the villagers' freedom from his leeching power. A temporary gift was given, but that was the last bit of kindness to his name. After some terrorizing, the corruption of Samuel and several kidnappings of others, the temporary gift rests in a bed, unaware. He must awaken soon.
1. 01 World in Grayscale

_**Drawn to Life  
><strong>__The Final Arc_

01. World in Grayscale

A Raposa awoke with a start, his vision a blur. Slowly sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, a soft groan emitting from his throat. It sounded a bit garbled as he had been asleep for so long. How long, exactly...?

Once his vision cleared, he examined where he was. Why, lying in a bed, probably in one of the few spare rooms in the Mayor's house. But what about all the...

He recalled some things. He'd stolen the Book of Life, drawn in it, got covered in Shadow Goo, made everything all shadowy, and then a hero made from a mannequin defeated him. Somehow surviving, took both appearences of Raposa named Salem and Sock, stole another named Heather and by taking the color away from everything, had a staff that shot rainbows of death. Though again, a hero of a mannequin defeated him, and it seemed like the end of everything as everyone knew it, because a Human named Mike had to wake up from his coma...

He suddenly let out a laugh. Oh my... It was all a dream! Some of this stuff was so silly and made no sense! Recalling everything as a whole, he rolled his eyes and shook his head, getting out of bed and ruffling his clothes down. Huh, he must've been so sleepy that night that he didn't even change to proper nightwear. _Oh well, it happens to every Raposa,_ he thought with a shrug.

As much as he'd like to change his attire, he couldn't as he was no resident here. Instead, he ventured out the room entirely, almost wondering why he'd woken up here, rather than his own home. Down the hall, he paused at a window. Then his eyes widened at the sight of outside.

Everything was grayscale. The trees had no leaves and were a pitch black; the grass a depressing silver; the sky seemingly nonexistant. A constant, soft breeze made both grass and trees shake. There were no other Raposa outside, either. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, looking around the hall. Nope, he hadn't gone colorblind, it's just outside. It was depressing.

While there were no other Raposa outside (which was odd; he recalled that there was always a lot of them out there, bursting with life), there were Shadow Walkers abo-

SHADOW WALKERS? But wasn't it all a dream?

He found himself running from the window, wanting to be convinced it wasn't true; no, he was seeing things! After a little bit, he headed downstairs, only to see the same horrors from the windows that were there. More Shadow Walkers prowled the paths; even some Shadow Bats flew around. He got to the front door, opening it up and sprinting outside. He continued to run, straight ahead, toward the front gate. It had to be lies!

Once he got there though, he had to grasp the gate's pillar as a sudden cliff began right outside of it. Just seeing it made him let out a sharp cry of fear, as it seemed like it would be a long fall. In fact, he could barely see where the fall would end. This gaping hole seemed to stretch onwards, all just wasteland of gray dirt. More Shadow creatures roamed down there. Afterwards, he noticed the cliff wasn't just at the gate, but began a circle. His eyes following the line, it seemed to surround the village...

No, whatever was LEFT of it.

More than three fourths of the village was gone, he came to a conclusion. Isaac's shop, Chef Cookie's resturant, the stage, Farmer Brown's farm, Cricket's police station, Galileo's observratory, The lighthouse, even Dr. Cure's hospital... It was all gone. Only a few houses remained, while the others made space for the canyon below, but with no sign of them ever being there. He didn't have to step away from the pillar to see this, however - that much of the village was gone. His face fell even further when he realized his own house was gone as well.

With the Shadows roaming freely like this, the Raposa came to realization. He hadn't been dreaming at all; all of this really did happen, but he absolutely knew he didn't do THIS. The last thing he remembered was something putting him to sleep... And then waking up in his bed.

Everything was colorful back then...

Just how LONG was he asleep?

While he was busy thinking about this, he didn't seem to notice some Shadow Walkers seeing and approaching him. When he finally did, he was hopelessly surrounded, his only option to jump into the large canyon. He really didn't want to do this as jumping would lead to demise. They got even closer towards him, as if they were going to...

Going to what? Kill him? No, since his dream was actually real, they wouldn't want to do that; he'd be commanding them! Though, the look in their faces suggested no such thing. Yet, he had to try!

"I command you to stop, Shadow Walkers!" he opened his mouth to shout this, but he let out a cough as the shout was more of a rasp. "I am your-!" He stopped short again, this time going into a coughing fit and falling to his knees. Oh, the one time for his voice to fail him, and it had to be when the Shadows were going to maim him.

Well, he guessed it was finally over for him. Nothing to defend himself with, his voice nothing but a coughing rasp, and jumping wouldn't save him. He got up, trying to lash out at the Shadow Walkers, but then remembered he had none of the powers he once had. Rapo, if he had the powers, he simply would've flown away! He threw a fist at the nearest with a raspy battle cry, only for the Shadow Walker's hands to grab onto it, and not let go. His face twisted into pure fear, he couldn't even move now, and they were almost upon him. "No...! No no no...!"

Suddenly there were gunshot sounds, and the closest Shadow Walker now had holes, before letting out a cry and fading away. Acting quickly, he ran out of the surrounding circle of them, as the others faded as well when they were hit... With acorns?

After seeing all the scattered acorns, he turned to see another Raposa, though was ginger in fur color. The Raposa even seemed to have odd attire, sporting a shirt, a scarf with a bell attached to it, and a pilot's goggles. He wracked his brain, trying to remember the name of this guy... Oh right, wasn't it Jowee?

Once the scene was safe, Jowee lowered the weapons, stepping toward the Raposa he had just saved. He smiled a little, even when before it was a much more serious face.

"You're finally awake! How do you feel?" he began with a soft chuckle.

"Er..." the other Raposa coughed some more; his voice seemed to really have it bad, so he tried to reply simply, "L-Like Baki dung..."

Jowee patted his back a little before starting to lead him away. "I bet you thought it was all a dream, huh? You wouldn't be the first Rapo to want to believe that..."

"Really, now...?" Couldn't help but roll his eyes at the obvious statement. "Never would've guessed..."

Jowee opened the Mayor's House's front door, stepping inside. He stopped the other Raposa from entering, glaring him in the eyes. "Look you, I just saved your life. You should be more grateful for that. After everything you did in the past, I'm surprised I even lift a paw."

He was surprised at this. To his knowledge, the villagers only knew him in his Shadow Gooed form; where it covered him head to toe, made his voice all funny and especially hid everything he was before; a gray-haired Raposa. Although, he knew it didn't hide his ponytail, so maybe that's how he was recognized. Yet, he had to ask anyway. "You know who I am?"

This time Jowee rolled his eyes, though let him come in the house. "Of course I do. Everyone does! What, did you really think we'd forget you? It's probably in history textbooks by now." He paused a bit here, heading further inside the house. "We know who you are, what you did, and the fact you just wouldn't stop trying to wreak the world the Creator worked so hard to make. Like Rapo we'd ever forget, Wilfre."

_Ugh,_ Wilfre thought to himself, already feeling bored of the conversation, _The Creator stuff again. Can't believe they still believe in that sh_-

"The only reason we didn't lock you up right away was that this creep covered in goo literally stormed in, took the Book of Life and had his scorpion drop your body to the ground-"

"Wait, what?" Wilfre had strained his voice too much this time and it left him, coughing more.

"Yeah, he said he had a 'present' for us, then dropped you to the ground," Jowee replied with a small shrug, heading to the kitchen with him, "Before he did any of that though, everyone thought it was just you. With the biggest Shadow army everyone has ever seen, there was nothing we could do to stop it. Praying for a hero or even guidance didn't help; the Creator never answered. It's like the Creator abandoned us again." As he said all this, he got out a glass, filled it with water from a tap on the counter, and finally handed it to Wilfre. "It seems like the Creator abandons us whenever something so catastrophic happens-"

He had stopped short here as Wilfre practically snatched the glass from him and guzzled it down without relish, before letting out a relieved sigh. After a few moments, he looked at Jowee. "Yeah yeah, like that one time a very long time ago, it was so amusing..."

Jowee huffed a bit from this behavior, glaring again. "You're WELCOME."

"... Yes, yes I am. Thank you for noticing." Wilfre simply smiled, waving a paw at him a little before continuing, "Seriously, you had no sky, or clouds. How was there snow on the ground? How does that even WORK?"

In his rage, Jowee took the glass back. "That's not the point! The point is now we have almost NO hope to make things okay again! No Creator, no Book of Life, no Hero, NOTHING! We are living in something much worse than a colorless world, a GRAY WORLD. Most of the village is gone, the residents have either died, disappeared, or become Shadows themselves, and you acting like this is not going to help!"

Wilfre was slightly intiminated by the wrath, but not enough to actually get scared. Besides, Wilfre was actually older than Jowee by a good seven years. "And how exactly, is this MY problem? I don't recall ever having a ROLE to fix this mess. For all we know, I may just have woken up to leave this dump-er, to leave."

Jowee turned away, huffing again. "You're right, it ISN'T your problem, Wilfre. We could just lock you up somehow but I'd be sick enough knowing you're even in the village. Why don't you just go back to the Shadows where you belong, then? I'm sure that Shadow Gooed monstrosity would welcome you back to its ranks." He paused here, looking back at him over his shoulder, now with a more cruel glare. "That is... IF you're that willing to follow what the Shadow is now, compared to how you controlled it."

"Compared to how I controlled it? Whatever do you mean? I'm quite certain it's the same... I established it, after all."

"Well-"

"Jowee, he'll find out tonight." a new voice cut through, feminine. A female Raposa had entered the room. "Remember, it's Sunday. The... The Church Eve."

"Already? I thought it was still Saturday, Mari!" Jowee seemed to change face from the relevation, unprepared. He pointed at Wilfre. "That means HE has to attend as well, and he doesn't even have a suit!"

Wilfre briefly looked down at his clothes. It was the light blue and gold trimmed shirt and trousers he wore; but wrinkled and slightly dirty from being worn from what felt like the previous day. Mari came closer to Jowee, her voice a bit fatigued. "Just let him borrow one of yours Jowee, he'll behave. He'll have to."

"The Church Eve? Attend? Suit? Borrow?" Wilfre couldn't help but spill the thoughts outloud. "What the Rapo are you two talking about?"

Mari couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You mean you never saw the Church building? It's pretty big..."

Jowee pointed out a window. "Right over there. Some of the village that didn't go under was bulldozed to build it. It's sickening..."

"A... Church building." Wilfre was in disbelief. The building itself was almost a pure black, bricked and tall, tall for Raposa standards at least, and there were statues of Shadow Gooed Raposa, each sculpted to perfection and of the same color as the building. The statues however, while amazing, were also quite sinister. The double doors that were the entrance were gray, darker than the grass, and seemed to be from the dark ages.

Mari nodded, looking at it with a glare. "Yeah. Every Sunday eve, attending the Church of Shadow is required, while wearing a gray suit. You go in, bow at the alter in the front of the hall, then sit down. You will be fed lie after lie about how the Shadow's rulings are 'fair' and 'just'. That everyone is 'happy' and 'well cared for'."

"And you have to sit through this for about two, long hours," Jowee added, "It's no picnic."

"They're expected to BELIEVE IT, too?"

"Outwardly, yes. Everyone has to have the impression that it's all true, dispite the obviousness of the lies." Mari seemed to glare at the building more, then turning away from it, clenching her paws into fists. "I wish we didn't have to go... The Creator certainly wouldn't have had it. Not even the Creator would make us do this."

While Wilfre continued to stare out the window, Jowee followed after Mari, putting his paw on her trembling shoulder. "There has to be SOMETHING we could do to stop the Shadow... I've been getting better with my shooting skills so we could start a re-"

Mari roughly pushed him away, starting to storm off, tears littering her face but still had a strong glare. "Forget about it, Jowee. There's only us two left! Everyone else is GONE. A rebellion of two? It's HOPELESS!"

"Mari...! Wait!" Jowee ran after her, only for her to respond with,

"It's OVER, Jowee! We're DONE for! The Great and Mighty Era of Shadow really has begun! No one can stop that thing! NO ONE!" Then, a loud slam of the front door made Wilfre jerk his head away from the window. Things really seemed to be nicer when he was sleeping, as the village went to Rapo hell while he slept right through it. From what he heard so far, he had been proven wrong. The methods being used compared to what he would've done was far from the same; Wilfre had to admit that was not how he would've ruled things. He'd just be worse than the Creator, after all.

Then, he heard a sigh as Jowee retreated back into the room. "Nevermind her; she's been like this since the Shadow took the Book of Life, even when she did so well to hide it."

Wilfre nodded a little, seeming to understand their situation. Even if he used to be the one to rule all of the Shadow, this definitely wasn't what he had in mind if he had completely took over the Raposa world. Churches that fed you lies? The world in grayscale? A gaping canyon overtaking almost all of the very village he was raised in? No, nothing like that. "Though, I couldn't help but notice neither of you mentioned how I was still here, like I wasn't around."

"Well," Jowee replied, "We can't be sure if you're even on our side, can we? Any minute you could be running out that door and begging for the Shadows to recruit you. But, not just because of your past. Some of our own villagers did the same thing, just so they'd be spared from having to go through what we did. So, we wouldn't be surprised if it turns out you became one of them."

Wilfre let out a dry laugh. "True, true... But if what I've come to remember is correct, I'd have to be going back to those things kicking and screaming."

Jowee was confused by those words. He almost hoped he was kidding about it, even. "What do you mean?"

Wilfre was quiet for a few moments, as if hesitant to pour it out just yet. No, he wanted to banish it from his mind entirely. "Let's just say I wasn't always the one in control, Jowee. However, I do not wish to speak about it."


	2. 02 Church of Shadow

Thank you for each review. It gives me the strength and urge to carry on with this story.

A brief warning. This chapter can be quite unsettling.

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><p>02. Church of Shadow<p>

Noticing Jowee wasn't chasing her anymore, Mari headed toward one of the buildings that somehow survived the apocolypse of Raposa porportions (actually meaning very, very big); Creation Hall. She studied the building carefully, memories filling her heart and mind to the brim. Years back, when she was about twelve, the village was clouded in darkness and snow, and it was in her (Mayor's) house that she finally heard the Creator speak to her.

The Creator had told her to bring everyone to Creation Hall.

Turned out that Isaac's family had left just before she could tell her father and Jowee, because they lost Cindi and they were going to find her. She tried to convince her father, but with no luck. So it was just her and Jowee going inside.

Mari opened the big door and stepped in, coughing a bit from the dust that collected over time. Everything was still how it was. The books were still in place, the room was still how it always had been, and there was the mannequin in the corner, though now covered in dents and cuts from adventures prior.

_Well, at least the inside is still in color, _she thought to herself, shutting the door. Walking forward, she headed to the mannequin. This was who the Creator made a hero out of by drawing a form for it. To think a simple mannequin restored the village to it's former glory, with every resident returned and safe. When made from a different mannequin, a new hero even restored color for not just one village, but three others, including a wasteland made by Wilfre. If Mari could look at the last one from afar, she would think Wilfre had mashed it together at the last minute.

She ran a paw pad around the wood the mannequin was made of, over the cuts and dents even. "Creator... Why did you let this happen? It's even worse than any other time with these Shadows." she said this quietly, her voice faltering as she threatened to cry, but stubbornly swiped any tears from her eyes. "Wilfre may have put the Raposa in cages, made the land in darkness, attempted to murder my father, made fun of me, stole away the color, pose as two separate Raposa and manipulate the other mayors, but... But this is much, much worse."

Mari paused a little here, looking up at the ceiling now, as if the Creator would see her do this. "Why can't you send us another Hero...? The mannequin here is all the template you need..." When she got no answer, she bowed her head, now staring at her back paws, still fighting back tears, trying so hard to seem stronger than she actually felt. "Please Creator... If you can hear me... Help us. We're all begging you. We know this isn't how you'd want things to be..."

_A Hero is not enough for this task._ Mari let out a gasp when she heard the voice in her head. She knew this voice from past experiences. The Creator...!

"Then maybe... Two Heroes? We have that mannequin on Turtlerock that helped us find Watersong, Lavasteam, Galactic Jungle and Wilfre's... Wasteland," she replied as soon as she could find her voice.

_No. This task cannot be done by any amount of Heroes._ Mari's ears drooped sadly at those words.

"Are we doomed to live like this, then...?"

_There is hope, Mari. However, only if you truly believe that will you know what to do._

"What do you mean, Creator...?"

_Mari, I do not have much time left. I'm losing signal as we speak._

"Creator...!" Mari was shocked at this. So after all, their Creator hadn't abandoned them; the Creator simply couldn't contact anyone until now. "Then... I will only ask one more thing. It's important..."

_Yes, Mari?_

Mari hesitated on the question at first, then finally asked it. "Can we trust Wilfre?"

_Do not worry, Mari. You will see soon._ Then there was nothing, no matter how much Mari responded.

The signal was lost.

"Mari!" Jowee shouted from outside the door, before opening it. "Are you okay? I heard you screaming about something..." Mari looked right at Jowee, being unable to resist throwing herself into his arms, sniffling just a little.

"The Creator..." she managed to say, "The Creator didn't abandon us. But there's nothing that she can do to help us now. We're on our own..." Jowee blushed deeply from her sudden affection towards him, but he held her close, trying to comfort her the best he could. This relevation gave him a little hope; their Creator may not be able to do anything for them, but at least she hadn't abandoned them again.

There was hope, after all.

* * *

><p>"This thing is too small..." Wilfre began.<p>

"It's only for two hours." Mari replied with a sigh.

"And it blends into my fur. I almost look like I'm-"

"That's enough, Wilfre."

Wilfre let out a small huff, his ears drooping with both shame and irritation. He, Jowee and Mari were all dressed in the gray suits that were needed, nearing the Church of Shadow. Mari's was more feminine with a knee-long skirt and short tie, while Jowee and Wilfre's ties were longer. As for Wilfre, the trousers were high watered, the sleeves to the shirt too short and the top itself just barely covered cleavage. In fact, he had to hold the top down so it would. It was a sight...

_ONLY two hours?_ Wilfre thought a bit, _Then it'll be the longest, most embarrassing two hours of my life._

Soon they had reached the building, dozens of other Raposa in the same attire, but all also seemed depressed, fatigued. Maybe even... How could Wilfre put it? Lifeless? Though, he wondered how these Raposa were around since most of the village was a wasteland. Of course, almost all of them he didn't even recognize so they probably had some sort of transit.

The door was opened when they arrived to it, so they simply walked inside. Countless rows filled with Raposa were seated in them, along with a line of them that headed to the alter. Like Mari had said, each bowed at it before sitting down. All of them, even the young Rapos, wore the same, lifeless demeanors. It was so odd to see everyone so miserable like this. Once it was their turn to bow, he noticed Mari and Jowee's were curt, though he could understand the reason for this.

Once they all had done this at the alter, they sat in one of the many rows, but had to be a bit squished together. Since Wilfre ended up being at the edge of the row toward the middle aisle, he felt like he could fall off at any time. Mari, who was sitting right next to him, whispered out "Don't do anything stupid," with a slight edge in her tone.

"Why is that?" he whispered back, in confusion and anger by her choice of words.

"If you're lucky, you'll see." Was Mari's only response. Wilfre opened his mouth to reply once more but another, loud voice cut in through the otherwise complete silence of the room. It seemed to come from the front of the room, with a podium and some sort of Raposa standing behind it. However, this Raposa seemed to be either covered in or was made of Shadow Goo, and it eerily reminded Wilfre of how he once was.

The Shadowed Raposa also seemed to be wearing something, although its appearence was hidden with the goo. It was like a very loose robe, and it even seemed to conceal some of the head of the Raposa. Widening his eyes in shock, Wilfre managed to recognize the Raposa corrupted in Shadow.

_Oh Rapo, _he screamed in his head. _It's SAMUEL!_

"The time of worship begins now!" yelled out Samuel from the podium, his usually rich and wise, but quiet voice tainted and screeched by the Shadow that corrupted him. It almost made Wilfre cover his ears from how shrill it was, but instead let his ears droop like they were rocks with tightly shut eyes. However, seeing Mari, Jowee and pretty much all the other Raposa, they did not share his reaction.

_ONLY two hours..._

And so the 'worship' began, with basically how the Shadow was every positive thing imaginable, made up stories about the Shadows being heroic, just, kind, and a lot of other lies, while everyone gathered in the seats listened either keeping every opinion to themselves or blindly following it as truth. Mari and Jowee seemed to act with the former, along with Wilfre and possibly countless others, while maybe a few actually believed it. Wilfre though, was doing everything he could to keep from bursting out with something like 'This is complete Baki dung'. But of course, Mari did have every right to hate him, as he attempted murder on her father in the past. So if she cared enough to tell him of all Raposa to keep quiet, it must be for a good reason.

He couldn't help but wonder what the reason was. Surely it couldn't be that bad, right?

Samuel continued to preach the Shadows in their false glory with that twisted, mangled voice he used to possess. Every lie, every fib, every work of fiction that entered the Raposas' ears were shattering; not just for the blantant lying, but the voice that was telling it all. Wilfre honestly didn't know how much he could take of this. Sneaking a glance at the nearest clock hanging on the wall, only five minutes had passed.

In combined irritation and boredom, he covered his face with his paws, but kept from yelling any noise out. Mari seemed to sympathize just a bit, giving his shoulder a quick pat with her own paw. He had to admit that it helped a lot, but he didn't want to show it.

All the Raposa in the room looked up in shock when one of them stood up and moved to the middle aisle, screaming out "LIES!" Wilfre especially almost jumped, staring at the one who rose up. It was one of the many whom he didn't recognize, but nevertheless was interested. If this Raposa was doing what Mari considered 'stupid', then the reason why this is should be made clear soon.

Samuel was silent as the rising Raposa stomped toward the podium with rage in his eyes, yelling out every flaw of the lies and fibs, as if trying to get everyone else to rise up as well. To the Raposa's (and Wilfre's) dismay, no one rose up, or even looked at him. Parents of young Rapos even motioned for them to cover their ears and shut their eyes. _It's as if something truamatic was going to happen in a horror movie,_ Wilfre thought, still looking at the Raposa after glancing at the others still seated and silent, _But this is a church, of all things! What would parents not want their children to see?_

Once the Raposa finished speaking, he panted a little, but still in rage. Samuel hadn't moved or reacted, just seeming to stare at the Raposa instead. If his facial expression wasn't being partically hidden, it probably would've appeared with disgust, hatred. "Are you finished?" he asked, still with the terrible voice.

When the Raposa nodded, Samuel suddenly snapped his paw, a terrifying roar filling the room and almost shaking the building. Afterwards, some sort of monster made of Shadow Goo burst out from the floor, as if it was coming out from under the floorboards. At this point, Wilfre was digging his paws into the underside of his seat, almost completely frozen in fear. He could only stare at that creature once it was completely off the floor, letting out another, louder roar.

This time, Wilfre couldn't help but cover his throbbing ears with gritted teeth. The beast seemed to resemble Frostwind in a way, being a large serpant, but with this ear-shattering roar. The Raposa let out a scream of terror, fleeing to the front doors; only to find the beast covering it with Shadow Goo, leaving him no escape from this thing. Not one Raposa rose up to assist the victim, Wilfre noticed. He started to get up but Mari pushed him back in his seat before he was off two inches.

"If you get up," she whispered, a tear running down her cheek, "You'll die too."

_DIE?_ His eyes widened and a gasp was all that could come out of him, even though he wanted nothing more than to shout the thought out loud and scream himself silly. Parents and relatives of young Rapos held their children closely, petting their heads and shhhing them softly; as even if their ears were covered and eyes shut, they were genuinely terrified. Even the more sensitive or weak-stomached Raposa looked away with shut eyes.

The screams of the victim grew louder as the beast neared, drooling all over the middle aisle. The Raposa tried in vain to open the doors by pulling, pushing, scratching and pounding at the door, even if his paws became bruised and covered in Shadow Goo. Then, with Wilfre seeing the whole thing and too frozen to look away, one more scream was muffled as the beast reached down and covered the whole victim in its mouth, then swallowing.

The room was silent again, save for a little bit of sniffling from the younger Rapos. Wilfre even heard Jowee quietly trying to comfort Mari. Even if the three of them didn't know the Raposa who just got eaten alive by this beast, it was still a horrific thing to have to see. Wilfre was frozen once again in both being a little traumatized and shock, almost forgetting to breathe. Once he collected some bits of himself, it resulted in hiding his face in his paws again, his body slumped forward.

The beast wandered the aisle a little, then approaching Samuel, who smiled wickedly and petting its head. In response, the serpant seemed to become much more docile, panting like a little dog and rubbing a little against Samuel. When it whined for another treat, Samuel sent him off, and the beast went back down below the floorboards, as if it was never there in the first place. The Shadow Goo covering the front doors was even gone, now.

"Newcomers; let this be a lesson to you in the future," Samuel broke the silence after a few more minutes. "The last thing this wonderful, flawless empire needs are vocal non-believers. It would just be better if you kept it all to yourself, as the empire will prosper. Now, let's continue..."

_Continue?_ Wilfre thought while still having his paws cover his face, _As if that never HAPPENED? Did they not just SEE one of their own kind being EATEN ALIVE? Why aren't they doing anything? Why aren't they running away? Why didn't they all rise up together to fight that thing? I'm sure all of us put together could stop it... But they just sat there, letting him DIE!_ He had to stiffle a small sniffle, and he shook a bit instead. He felt his paws becoming wet due to him somehow... Crying. For a variety of negative emotions that he couldn't identify all of, no matter how hard he tried.

Sneaking a look at the clock again, he saw a half hour passed since the first five before. This was going to take a very long time... And even longer for him to recover.

_First day awake, Wilfre?_ He found himself thinking. _Welcome to Rapo Hell._


	3. 03 Time of Bonding

Thanks again for the reviews.

Also, if the Author's Notes have changed in any way, it was my fault. I was revising and editing the story (fixing typos and whatnot) and I did something stupid. Needing to retype the Author's Notes will be tiresome if I'm not careful.

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><p>03. Time of Bonding<p>

The walk back to the wasteland of a village was silent as could be, the only noises made were the sounds of pawsteps on the path. Mari was almost surprised Wilfre was being the most silent, no longer complaining about the suit that didn't fit him. It seemed that the incident really struck a chord with him most; though, she realized she couldn't blame him. She and Jowee both have seen this sort of thing several times so it almost didn't affect them as much, but Wilfre... She didn't think he'd ever had to see that before.

Hit him so hard that even he couldn't say anything.

Once the three Raposa were back in the house, Wilfre padded straight up the stairs, the look of trauma still spread on his face. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts.

"Where are you going?" Jowee asked aloud anyway. Mari almost wanted to face paw a little, but let out a small sigh instead.

Wilfre paused at the top of the flight of stairs, replying without looking down at them, in a unusually quiet voice, "I need to lay down for a while," then proceeding back up the last step. Afterwards, was soon gone down the hallway.

There was silence for another few moments before Jowee replied with, "What about my suit?"

Another pause as Wilfre stopped to think for a moment. "Don't worry about it, I will return it soon." After this was silence as Wilfre padded onward, into his room and shut the door behind him. Once he was out of earshot, Jowee turned to Mari in confusion.

"Just what is with him all of a sudden? I didn't think something like that would even affect him..."

Mari couldn't help but glare at him. "It might be something we've seen before, but Wilfre never has! Why would it seem so wrong for him to react with that?"

"Well, he was one of them, Mari! He used to control those things and make our lives miserable in countless ways! Corrupted like Samuel! I wouldn't be surprised if he went and-" He stopped and let out a squeak of pain as Mari clawed his face. She didn't make gashes, but just enough of a cut or two to make him stop talking. She didn't even make him bleed. "Ow...! Mari, why did you do tha-"

"That's the thing, Jowee. He ISN'T corrupted by the Shadow anymore. He's one of US. And as long as he is, we will TREAT him like one."

Jowee was even more confused by her words. He had known her for a long time, and knew that she loathed Wilfre more than anything else. Why was she suddenly siding with whom she used to hate? "But Mari, you hate him! He tried to kill your father!"

She turned away, huffing a little at his mentioning of that event before replying. "I'm the mayor now, so what I say goes. You HAVE to get along with Wilfre!"

Jowee's jaw dropped from her reply and he whined, "But he's a jerk...!"

"Jowee, for the sake of our world and the Creator, please just do it!" Jowee slumped, pouting a little.

From his room, the first thing Wilfre did was change clothes, to get the ridiculously small gray suit off of him. That is, if it would come off at all; it might be stuck. It was so tight, uncomfortable, small, and a lot of other things other than simply bland. Though, his ears drooped more from the thought of needing his own for the next... Church Eve. The only image that came to mind after thinking about that was the incident, and it made him sick to his stomach.

He shook his head to try to clear the thoughts away, focusing more on what he ended up replacing the suit he once wore. It did help him feel a tiny bit better, but the horrors before just wouldn't leave him alone. Only seeing images of the Raposa who was eaten alive, he clutched his stomach, abandoning the suit that sprawled on the floor. Laying on his bed, he curled up into a ball, hoping the feeling of nausea would fade quickly.

_Oh Rapo,_ he thought to himself, knowing his face must be becoming pale or already was, _Something in a church that was so disturbing... Disturbingly heartless and cruel. And the corrupted Samuel didn't even care one bit..._ He made himself shut his eyes, to think of happier images to drown the terrors away.

_...When you feel up to it, I must show you somet-_

"Huh?" Wilfre's eyes opened immediately, bolting upright as he heard the voice. Was his nausea making him hear things, too?

_-Creation Hall. Go there Wilfr-_

"Creation Hall...?" he mused to himself. Why go there? Many bad memories of the past were in there, where he had made a huge mistake and suffered physically for it, time and time again. Not just him, but a lot of other Raposa as well. It was even the reason it was still around; because he made them real...

Was that the Creator speaking to him just now...? With this in mind, he started to get up, only to recurl on the bed, still feeling very nausous.

_Later, later... Or tomorrow. I really don't feel up to moving around..._ he thought again, shutting his eyes, hoping to relax. The only sound that he heard aside from his breathing was the rain that was pouring outside, kind of as if the Creator was cryi-

No, it's just rain.

Just rain...

However, what was a good hour and a half seemed like five minutes when a paw knocked on the bedroom door, waking him from whatever short-lived dream he may've had. Wilfre sat back up, letting out a yawn with a good stretch, then of course rubbing his eyes, still half-asleep.

"Who is it...?" he groggily asked, though was thankful the nausea had faded by this time. He briefly remembered he had something he needed to do, but he didn't know what it was.

"It's Santa Paws," was the response from outside the door. Wilfre couldn't help but let out a tiny huff of laughter, recognizing the voice as Jowee.

"Alright, you can come in," he soon responded, scratching the back of his head a little with his claws. Sure enough, the door was opened by Jowee, who stepped inside, carrying something in his own paws. Looking at it, Wilfre saw it was a plate of Banya-related food. Seeing it suddenly made his stomach remember an obvious truth.

"Mari sent me up here to see if you wanted this," Jowee shrugged a little, saying this as he padded towards him, "You've been up here since we came back, so she wanted to see if you were hungry. After all, you've been asleep for a long time, so you must be starving." Here, he gave a weak smile, remembering Mari's words before.

_"Jowee, could you take this up to Wilfre? He's probably starving up there and might not want to come down to eat."_

_"What? Why can't you? You seem to like him much more than bef-"_

_"Remember our little TALK, Jowee?"_

_"...ImeanyesofcourseI'dlovetohahaha...!"_

Jowee inwardly shivered at the memory. When Mari had said that, she'd made the scariest of faces. So he had gone to do the task asked of him. Though, he still couldn't help but wonder WHY Mari suddenly cared so much about Wilfre. Could it be that she was...? No, she COULDN'T be! Clearing the thoughts away, he focused back on Wilfre again, who seemed genuinely interested in the plate of food.

Wilfre had nodded at the thought of eating, but resisted reaching out and taking the plate away from Jowee's paws like he had the glass of water before. This change of attitude confused him however; it was as if something inside was saying 'No, that's wrong, Wilfre. It angers people when you do that.' So instead, he seemed to wait for Jowee to offer it to him. "Yes, thank you. I am absolutely famished."

Jowee seemed to notice this odd change in him, as just earlier today he would've been snatching it without a word of thanks, then do something like making fun of, say, his goggles. Though now, he seemed to be waiting with polite words, even if he had just claimed he was 'famished'. Yet, he handed the plate and utensils toward the gray Raposa, and was even more surprised by the way he had taken it, with Wilfre even nodding a bit in gratitude, before starting to eat.

Finally, after a few minutes of trying to comprehend this, he asked Wilfre, "Are you feeling okay?"

Wilfre paused, looking up at him and feeling confused. "Why, of course I'm alright. Why do you ask?"

Jowee thought for a bit before answering again. "You're... Kind of quiet now. Different."

"Is that so?" Wilfre replied, tilting his head a bit before continuing to eat the food, it disappearing pretty quickly from his hunger. "Hm... I'm not quite sure, myself. Maybe it was something about today that just... Knocked some sense into me."

_He's probably talking about what happened at the Church,_ Jowee conluded, but kept from mentioning outloud. He decided to sit where he stood on the floor, figuring now was a decent time to try to get along with Wilfre. _If Mari really needs me to do this, well... Then alright. But ONLY for Mari._

Wilfre blinked at him as he sat on the floor, pausing in his eating once more, though only a few bites remained on the plate at this point. "Why are you sitting on the floor? You're allowed to sit on my bed, if you prefer. It's not like I'm against anyone other than me to sit on it." To prove this, he scooted so Jowee would have room to sit. Jowee blinked at this, almost not believing his eyes and ears.

"But it's YOUR bed!" he couldn't help but exclaim, as if trying to make Wilfre realize it as well. But it only made him smirk a little.

"Yes, it is," he replied, still smirking, "And I may do what I wish with it." He patted the empty spot beside him now, practically inviting Jowee into what should've been Wilfre's personal space. At this point Jowee didn't want to make him upset for declining, getting up and sitting at the spot while Wilfre grinned in delight. However it was by now Wilfre had finished eating, sitting the plate and utensil on his nightstand and letting out a small sigh.

"Thank you again Jowee," he said afterwards, looking at him now, "I really needed that. I mean, I was going to make something myself much earlier, but everything had changed so much here that it ended up making me forget. And then what happened at the... The Church, I lost all of my appetite. In fact, I almost lost my stomach..." He let out a nervous laugh here, though did all he could to banish any disturbing images from his mind.

Jowee listened to every word he said, seeming to feel more and more guilty about how he had talked about him with Mari earlier. He was even beginning to suspect that Wilfre might not betray them after all. Looking briefly at the floor, he saw the suit that had been borrowed, carelessly thrown onto the floor; but from what Jowee was coming to understand, he couldn't really blame him for that, either. "So... It really got to you, huh?"

At this, Wilfre nodded, though a little, as if still trying to banish it all away, like the past. "Yes... Mari did tell me not to do anything 'stupid', and now I can see why. I honestly never expected to see something like that. I mean... Oh Rapo, not even _I_ would've done that. It's just sick and wrong."

Did Jowee just hear him right? This entire time, he had expected him to be so corrupted to the point of being completely heartless. So that when it came to things like this, he would probably laugh and applaud the Shadow Gooed serpant. Instead, he had reacted the same way a normal Raposa would've. "So, what do you think about them now that you've seen how corrupt it really is?"

Wilfre stared at Jowee for a long time, keeping silent. A bit of a memory came to the surface of his mind but couldn't block it out; it was too powerful to ignore.

_"It's the second time I've had to revive you, Wilfre. You're getting so weak now you can hardly stand. But I suppose that isn't your fault..."_

"I..." he finally tried to answer, in a vain attempt to push it away, "If I'll be honest, I'd actually prefer the Creator over this... Shadow thing. But only because-Wait..." He stopped here, remembering a little something when he had said 'Creator'. Why did that suddenly seem familiar...? Jowee looked at him in confusion, both from his delayed response and now his sudden change of thought.

Soon, Wilfre had gotten off the bed, remembering with a tiny gasp and running to his door. "Thanks for the meal again Jowee I needed it I'll be back soon!" he said in a rushed manner as he opened the door. Jowee followed, trying to stop him.

"Wilfre, wait! Where're you going? At THIS time of night?"

"It's... It's an errand!" he replied, not sure how to word it as he started running down the hall and down the stairs, "A voice... Told me to go to Creation Hall...!"

"A VOICE?" Jowee continued following, panting a little from having to both catch up to and speak to him at once. "You mean like the-"

"YES!" Wilfre groaned a bit at last, now making it to the front door and opening it, "The Creator told me to go. When I felt up to it. And to be honest I'm not sure why the Rapo I'm doing what the Creator wants, but..."

"If you're having to go out there NOW..." Jowee replied, pulling out his pair of acorn shooters, "You might need someone to go with you."

"I don't need your-" Wilfre paused with a sigh of defeat, knowing immediately that it was the most illogical thing to say, "Okay, fine. Thank you, I suppose."


	4. 04 Destiny and Love

04. Destiny and Love

They had been extremely lucky to get to Creation Hall without being seen, attacked, and being able to see where they were going. A Shadow-ruled night was definitely much darker than a normal night. Wilfre pushed the door open, but had to let out a deep cough from the dust that invaded him and Jowee, who was following close behind.

"Mari was in here earlier, but I thought the dust wasn't so bad now..." Jowee managed to say through his own coughs.

"So that's where she ended up running off to?" Wilfre replied, heading inside with him but then hesitated after the first step.

"Yeah... Then she said she heard the Creator speak to her," Jowee continued, "And she said that she couldn't do anything for us; we were on our own to make things better."

_Heh, about freaking time,_ Wilfre couldn't help but think as they ventured in further. As he did this he was forced to stop as THAT memory came to mind so easily. The very sight of this place reminded him of the night he...

_Seventeen year old Wilfre looked around him; left, then right. Seeing the sight was clear, he smirked, pushing the door open and venturing inside. He examined the room a little, as he'd never had a real chance to look in this place before. Shelves of books were lined all over the place. This place could've been a library for all he knew, though a few of the shelves had journals from previous Mayors._

_In a corner was a mannequin made of wood, of which it was twice his size. Wilfre padded toward it, starting to feel the wood it was made of. He was surprised to find the wood was so smooth, so polished... Yet a shame it probably will never be used for anything but decoration. He huffed a bit bitterly, the very thought reminding him of why he was here._

Without me, the Raposa will be useless forever,_ he thought to himself, walking away from the mannequin to pursue his search, _If I can show them, ALL OF THEM, that WE can make things real too, possibly even BETTER... They won't have to rely on that so-called Creator anymore, will they?

_As he looked, he soon found what he was looking for; the Book of Life. He glared at it with a grin, easily lifting it up with his paws. Right after this, his ears perked up, as if he had heard something. He realized with a glare that doing what had to be done couldn't be done here; he could easily be caught. Carrying the Book under his arm, he fled Creation Hall, heading back to somewhere less suspicious._

_It didn't take him long before he reached his destination. The house in front of him looked like any other, but it was his own. However he wasted no time in heading inside and shutting the door behind him._

It's time,_ he thought to himself again._

_Sitting down in the one chair at his table, he reached a paw into one of his pockets and pulling out a drawing pencil. Now, what should he make first...? He thought about this for a while, drawing blanks. Wow, all this time, wanting to do this for so long and to show everyone in the whole Raposa world that it's possible, and he couldn't even think of one little thing to bring to life._

_Eventually, he smiled as he thought of something, beginning to draw it on a page, and letting his imagination take control of every stroke, every shape, every appearence. His expression soon became one of pure happiness rather than deviousness, starting to feel like this would change the way Raposa saw their world forever. All thanks to one of their own thinking outside of the box and making it possible. He would be regarded as a hero, leading them out of the dark ages and into the age of self-reliance!_

_It would be the greatest kind of world to imagine._

Suddenly Wilfre felt a paw poke against his shoulder, and he turned to see Jowee. "Wilfre, you alright?"

He nodded a little, though it seemed more like he was convincing himself more than Jowee. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just... All the memories." After saying this, he shook his head and rubbed at his temples with his paws. "It was a very bad time, back then..." He trailed off, not saying anything more.

Jowee blinked at him, then remembered the story from years ago, when the Mayor had told about what Wilfre had done. Though, seeing him react with regret and possible sadness, rather than snickering about how fun it may've been, made him feel more sympathic towards him. _Maybe this is why Mari suddenly cares about him so much,_ he thought to himself. _She can somehow see that he had changed..._

"Well, you're here, just as the Creator asked..." Jowee finally replied after a little while of silence, "Did she tell you to do anything else?"

Wilfre shook his head again, sitting back against a shelf of books. "No... At least, most of it seemed a little choppy and hard to understand. Like it was a bad signal..."

Sitting next to him and setting his acorn shooters away, Jowee replied with a gasp, "Really? Mari was the same way, earlier! She couldn't talk to the Creator for very long, saying the signal was very weak, or something like that."

_So the Creator hadn't abandoned them,_ Wilfre rolled his eyes a little as he thought this. _Pity..._

"So, I guess we can only wait to see if the Creator can send us a sign for what we need to do now," Jowee continued, regardless if Wilfre was listening or not, "Even though Mari claimed she couldn't do much of anything, there has to be something she can do! Anything that would help us!"

At this point Wilfre was face pawing, wanting nothing more than silence from Jowee. _Still so Rapo dependant on the Creator... It's so childish and it's making me sick! Not like before, regardless, but it still is sickening to hear this! Make him stop!_

_-See you have come, Wilfre. I thank you._

Both Raposa jumped at hearing the voice, then looked around frantically as if a third person had entered Creation Hall. When no one had, they looked at each other in confusion.

_...And I see you've brought a friend._

At this remark, Wilfre stood up and stared at the ceiling with a small glare, although the thought of him and Jowee being friends did make him feel a bit... Happy inside. "Friend? He's not my-"

Jowee rose up as well, a little bit offended by how Wilfre reacted, letting out a "I'm NOT your friend?"

"No-I mean, yes, but-wait... Oh Rapo, I don't know, it's complicated." Wilfre ended up stuttering this response, though he himself wasn't sure how to answer. They heard the voice, the Creator, chuckle lightly.

_At least you three are getting along better than I predicted. Now, for the reason I brought him here..._

Both stared at the ceiling, as if that was where the Creator's voice was coming from. They listened as well as they could, even if Wilfre sometimes would want to interrupt with a snarky comment.

_You all know, as well as I, that this is not how the world should be like, _the Creator began, _And yet, unlike before when I could create a Hero to aid you, I cannot. Do not misjudge; I'd love to help with all my power, but the S.H.A.D.O.W.'s power has nearly destroyed the link-_

"Wait, wait, wait," Jowee ended up interrupting, "The S.H.A.D.O.W? The link?"

_Do not worry, I will explain, _the Creator responded, _As well as I can with the small time I have left in this signal. The S.H.A.D.O.W.'s power had dramatically increased over these few years; it's unbelievable how it got so much power in such short time. It started out as the Shadow Goo Wilfre had created in the beginning, but over time it got stronger until eventually it is what you see today. It's power has created a barrier that has weakened the link between me and your world._

Through this explaination, they both had listened as well as they could, even if some of the information was a little confusing. However, they didn't interrupt again, for they knew the Creator would probably explain it anyway. Wilfre especially cringed at little at the mentioning of the past, making him realize more and more of how much at fault he really was.

_With this weakened link, I have had communications fail countless times, and most of them not even able to reach you. On top of this, without the Book of Life or any of its pages, I cannot draw anything that would aid you... Except for that one page there on the floor. Wilfre, if you please, pick it up and tell me what it is._

Wilfre jumped at the mention of his name, but nodded, picking up the lone piece of paper on the floor, and afterwards studying it. "It says... 'Hero's Sword'."

_Perfect! _the Creator's voice replied more loudly, as if happy with the result. _Please, let me see it._ Wilfre did as he was told, though wasn't entirely sure what the Creator would plan on using the page for. Why a sword of all things? How would that help...?

After a few minutes of waiting, a shimmering blade materialized on the ground, the page having been drawn on it with the same image. Both Wilfre and Jowee watched in awe, Jowee's mouth hanging open. "It's... It's beautiful...!" he finally said, smiling with a happy tear in his eye.

_This should be enough to begin your journey, _the Creator responded with hope in her tone, _The only way for the S.H.A.D.O.W. to be gone once and for all is if Wilfre himself fights against it, rather than a Hero._

Wilfre became shocked at this relevation; the sword had been meant for him and he had to take it upon himself to... It sounded like a punishment, but he did have to admit that it was more fitting than say, a death sentence. However, Jowee was very confused, not seeming to understand why it was so. "Why him, though?"

_Not even a Hero can destroy what he did not create, _was the Creator's only response, before not saying anything more. No matter what Jowee or even Wilfre tried to say or do, there was no further response from the Creator. Eventually, they gave up and left Creation Hall, though Wilfre held both the sword and the page in his paws.

"What do you think the Creator meant by that?" Jowee asked Wilfre on the way back to the house.

"What do I think...?" Wilfre responded, but with a tired yawn, "I think this is why it kept returning."

Jowee blinked as he got to the house and opening the door. "Wait a minute... That's right! Even if a Hero would defeat you and you would disappear, it'd ALWAYS come back! Even with the Creator's help!"

As Wilfre and Jowee entered the house, they were suddenly greeted by an angry Mari, who looked like she had been waiting for them."You two better have a good reason why you went out there so late at night."

The look on her face made Jowee nervous but it didn't intimidate Wilfre in the least, so Jowee hid behind him. Wilfre let out a sigh, feeling a bit irritated by Jowee's sudden cowardice and responded, "We'd love to tell you, but you are right in saying it's late. Perhaps it would be better to tell you in the morning."

Mari crossed her arms, though huffed a little in defeat. Glancing at what Wilfre had in his paws, she rose an eyebrow in slight suspision. "And you'll tell me why you suddenly have a page from the Book of Life and a SWORD?"

Jowee peeked from behind Wilfre, nodding quickly. "Yeah! We'll tell you everything!"

After staring at the both of them with an unamused expression, she finally let it go and shrugged. "Alright, fine. But it better be worth waiting for. And I suggest we all try to get some sleep, too."

Jowee stopped hiding behind Wilfre with a relaxed sigh once he saw Mari back off. With that being settled, the three of them headed up stairs to go to bed, which they were all glad to do. However, when Mari had gone off to bed first, (Wilfre and Jowee both telling her goodnight) only they were left in the hall, so Jowee said in a whisper, "Hey Wilfre, come here for a sec."

Wilfre didn't seem to want to, but did anyway. "Yes, what is it?" he said also in a whisper, though he appeared a bit uninterested and just wanted to get some sleep. Jowee seemed to look to his left, then right, making sure no one else was around (which made Wilfre roll his eyes).

"Can you keep a secret? And SWEAR not to tell anyone?" he finally whispered, but was blushing a little at this point. Truth be told, earlier on today he would've never even dreamed of telling someone like Wilfre such a deep secret, because he would've assumed he would've gone and told it to everyone he could carelessly. Now, though, it was different. In just one day, Wilfre had changed attitude, so Jowee believed he could trust him. Besides, he knew he would have to eventually, with what had occurred a bit ago.

Wilfre wanted to laugh, because even if he did keep a secret, there wasn't one person he could've told it to, other than Mari. Yet, he decided to humor Jowee with a nod, and also seemed to realize that Jowee was trying to trust him enough to learn this secret. _Are they honestly becoming my... Friends?_ he thought to himself for a bit before replying.

"I swear on my grave I won't tell a single Raposa."

"Okay, well..." Jowee seemed to blush more as he thought of what to say. "I..." Wilfre blinked, urging him on with another nod. He was becoming pretty curious now.

"I love Mari." Jowee eventually blurted out, though luckily still in a whisper. This time Wilfre did laugh, but he kept it quiet. Meanwhile, Jowee huffed with an embarrassed glare, waving his arms around a little with empathsis. He did all he could to keep his volume to a minimum as he continued, "What? It's not funny...!"

"Oh, I know," Wilfre replied through his laughter, "But it seems so obvious already! Besides, one day you're going to have to tell her how you feel. So if something were to happen, she would at least know about it. I mean, who knows; she might even feel the same."

Jowee frowned, but with a deeper blush. "If only it was that easy..."

Wilfre waved a paw a bit, now actually trying to cheer Jowee up. "It seems hard, but I'm certain plenty of Raposa have been able to do it. Your parents, my parents, Mari's parents... Every single Raposas' parents and their parents have done it, or have had to. Is there any way that it would be easier for you to tell her?"

"Um..." Jowee thought about this for a little bit, Wilfre's words oddly making him feel less embarrassed, "Well, if I could make her really, really happy before I tell her..."

"Alright," Wilfre nodded in response, before yawning a little and heading to his room to get some shut-eye. "Well, you'll have to think about what would really make her happy, and not just happy; happy with being around you. Most likely, she'll love you back that way. Goodnight, Jowee."

Jowee waved at him a little as he did this, unable to resist catching the yawn. "I will! And... Goodnight, Wilfre."


	5. 05 Samuel the Wise

I'm getting flustered from the kind reviews. I do hope to finish this story, as well.

Too late to warn you, but this chapter has an awesome fight scene.

* * *

><p>05. Samuel the Wise<p>

_A young Raposa was sitting somewhere, holding onto her knees tightly and sniffling loudly through her tears. She felt absolutely alone here; and she hated being trapped. This was nothing like being trapped in a cage made of Shadow Goo; no. This was much worse than that. She was instead, in a strange plane of existance from _within_ the Shadow Goo, or as the beast itself preferred to call it, S.H.A.D.O.W._

_As she continued sniffling, she heard someone pad up to her. "Hello, Heather." the person said softly. She raised her head a little, looking at the newcomer. She let out a small yell of surprise by how much taller this Raposa was compared to her._

_"Wapo...!" she managed to say, then beginning to shiver from fear. "W-Who awe you?"_

_The taller Raposa, who seemed to be an adult, tried to grin, even weakly, but found it difficult as wounds littered his body, fur, and even his clothes. "Do not be afraid, Heather. I won't hurt you." he responded, coming closer and sitting next to her. "My name is Wilfre."_

_Heather almost immediately wanted to scoot away, but didn't. "But... But you'we a bad Wapo...! You'we covuhed in shadow!"_

_Wilfre nodded a little, bringing his own knees to his chest, though a bit guiltily, "Yeah, I know. But before then, I was just like everyone else. Well, not exactly like everyone else..." As he said this, another Raposa seemed to appear, who was gray in fur, much like Wilfre. He wore a mask that covered the right side of his face, a small hat on his head, and some sort of odd outfit that included a cape._

_"Salem..." Wilfre could only say, while the newcomer, Salem, took a bow at them both before sitting in front of them. Then, a third Raposa ran in from behind, giggling happily. This Raposa was small, a child like Heather, who was ginger-furred, wore a large sock on his head, and a long-sleeved striped shirt with trousers, though the sleeves were too long for his little arms._

_"...Sock," Wilfre responded, while Sock sat next to Heather and patting her shoulder comfortingly. Wilfre continued, "-And I were all once normal Raposa, although I was different in the fact that I... Questioned a lot of things about the Creator."_

_"Weally?" Heather replied, looking in wonder at all three of the Raposa sitting near her, suddenly not feeling so alone anymore. "You all good Wapos?"_

_"I know Sock and Salem are, but I..." Wilfre paused a little, scratching the back of his head in a bit of shame, "I'm the one who made those shadows real. Of course I regret doing so, but... It doesn't change the fact I'm at fault for it."_

_"Wegwet?" Heather blinked, not knowing what the word meant, but continued, "But if you feel bad fow it, why awe you doing those bad things?"_

_This time, Wilfre was silent. Beside her, Sock patted her a little more, though had stopped giggling. "Well... Wilfre isn't the one doing those things. Salem here wasn't even the one who took Mayor Rose's voice away, and I don't even know who those Raposa in that village are, even though I claimed to have met them..."_

_"All of us are being controlled by that thing," Salem agreed, glaring just a little. "It is using our bodies to do its dirty work, and meanwhile leeching the lives out of us."_

_"And as it does that from all of us," Wilfre finally responded, "It becomes stronger and stronger. It won't be too long before it becomes too powerful to defeat, while we grow weaker..."_

_Heather listened to everything they said, though didn't know what some of the words meant. Even so, she decided that it meant something very bad. Finally, she asked timidly, "When will it s-stop...?"_

_She was met with silence. All three of the Raposa around her thought for a while, before all of them blurted out at the same time:_

_"When the Hero defeats it!"_

_"When we can break free of its control!"_

_"When we die."_

_That last answer was what got the most attention, wondering who said that in the first place. Then suddenly, there was a loud knock..._

Wilfre's eyes shot open, then tightly shut again to be rubbed by his paws. Who was it that disrupted his sleep like this? Sitting up a little in his bed, he let his eyes open to see that... Well, not much about the village had changed. He let out a small sigh, now looking at the door. "What is it...?"

From outside the door, it was Mari who spoke, her tone a bit brighter than it had been the previous night. "It's almost time for breakfast, so you might want to come down soon." Wilfre listened to this, nodding to himself. Soon enough, he was heading down the stairs, dressed in what was his normal attire, but brought down the page and the sword. He had vaguely remembered Mari still needed an explaination of what happened last night.

By the time he got to the dining table, Mari and Jowee were both already seated, having just set down three plates of food. Wilfre couldn't help but stare at what was on the plates, just the very sight of it making his mouth water in hunger, his lips curling in the largest smile he could muster.

On the plates were sunny-side up eggs and deep-fried bacon strips. He screamed out in his head, _MY FAVORITE! _before being unable to contain himself and running into the room, sword and page still in his paws. Jowee and Mari looked at him in surprise, blinking as he eagerly sat down in his own chair with probably the happiest of expressions on his face. With this in mind, it didn't take long for Wilfre to eat the food while Mari and Jowee had hardly started on theirs'. Jowee let out a small chuckle, saying "Well, good morning to you, too!"

Once Wilfre finished, he let out a relaxed sigh, feeling comfortably full and doing all he could to resist letting out a belch. At last, he looked at Mari with a bright smile and asked, "So, you want to know how I got this sword?" With Mari listening intently while she and Jowee continued on their breakfast, he proceeded to tell about how he and Jowee went to Creation Hall, listing out everything the Creator had said to them, while Jowee assisted in some small details.

Finally, when the explaination was complete, Mari seemed to think for a little while before saying, "So apparently, WILFRE is the Hero this time..."

Wilfre shrugged a little. "Yeah... It's so odd that it's really been up to me to get rid of the Shadows- err, the S.H.A.D.O.W. Really though, I feel like I'm finally being punished for my past actions, by having to get rid of the mess I created in the first place."

"That IS one Rapo of a punishment," Jowee agreed, then beginning to grin in hope. "And there's no reason why you'd have to do it all on your own, either! Mari, we should help him, even just a little. We'd have much more of a chance working together!"

Mari stared at Jowee for a little while. Did Jowee just say what she thought he said? Of course she had told him yesterday to start getting along with Wilfre, but she never expected him to bond with him to this extreme so quickly - or easily. However, a small smile appeared on her face, before a slight glare of determination was added onto it. "More of a chance working together?" she asked him teasingly, "Jowee, I think working together gives us the ONLY chance we have. But it's for the entire Raposa world, so we've got to try."

Both of the Raposa nodded in agreement to this. "If I can make a suggestion as to where to start, we probably should start here and work our way around our known world." Wilfre spoke up afterwards, soon having a deep glare, "Like at that... Church. I'd love nothing more than to have that horrible place torn down and bulldozed after all the suffering it's caused."

"I agree," Mari stated firmly with a nod, "That place has got to go. And Samuel's the one running it; if there's a way to turn him back to normal, we've got to save him."

"But how?" Jowee replied, not being able to resist playing out what he was imagining, "Just having Wilfre hack at him until the Shadow Goo just goes away?"

"Well," Wilfre responded, even though a bit hastily, "The Hero did something like that towards me on more than one occasion, and it seemed to work. But if it's ME doing it, it might not kill anyone corrupted by it."

"That would make sense," Mari rested a paw on her chin before agreeing once again, "Since the Hero is not who made the Shadow Goo in the first place, of course it wouldn't be able to do what you probably would."

"Exactly," Wilfre nodded, trying to deteer the subject to something less tender, "But even so, I will not be stupid as to think it can be done by only one person. Even if I have experience in the past, it doesn't mean I can single-pawedly overthrow the S.H.A.D.O.W.'s empire."

Both Jowee and Mari nodded at this as well, though Jowee was more eager. Wilfre smiled softly this time, bringing out a paw and placed it over the table, toward the two. "So, we'll work together on this?" Jowee and Mari held out their paws and put them together with Wilfre's, as a sign of becoming an allied team.

Then after a bit, Jowee couldn't help but add jokingly, "See, Mari? We ARE starting a rebellion!"

It completely ruined the moment.

With the sword in paw, it didn't take Wilfre, Jowee and Mari long to reach the Church of Shadow. Even as they looked upon it with a heavy glare, Wilfre could still hear the screams of the Raposa who was eaten alive, as well as see the very image of the event happening. Shaking his head, he remembered quickly what he had to do.

"Will you be alright in there?" Mari asked tentiatively, "You won't just be dealing with Samuel, but his... Er, pet, as well."

Wilfre simply nodded as he pushed the doors open and proceeded inside the now empty and dark Church. Jowee turned to Mari and put a paw on her shoulder. "We'll watch from the windows. If he needs it, we'll find some way in to help him."

Even if it was dim inside now, Wilfre knew that he was being watched by something, and the windows of outside at least let a little light in. For the first time, he noticed paintings on the walls, each of a shadowed-out Raposa. On the farthest side was the one that was most recently eaten.

He shivered at the thought of seeing Mari's, Jowee's, or even his own painting being hung up like that. Not only were they eaten alive, but then they were displayed on a wall of shame. It sickened him to the core, which made him want to destroy this place once and for all more. At last, after wandering around for a little longer, he finally called out "Samuel! Come on out; I know you're there somewhere!"

As if he had said a magic word, he heard a deranged laugh coming from the podium. Turning to look, there Samuel was, standing there behind it like he had done last night. "Why hello there, Raposa!" he spoke to him, the screechy and twisted voice even worse sounding than before, "What brings you here to my lovely Church?"

In response, Wilfre held his sword in both paws, pointed towards the corrupted Raposa. "You KNOW why I'm here, Samuel."

Samuel seemed to giggle lightly, holding out a paw towards him, seeming to recognize just who it was in his Church. "We'd LOVE to welcome you back to our ranks, Wilfre. S.H.A.D.O.W.'s prized host... He's missed you so much." Wilfre glared hardly, stepping backwards with a snarl.

"I'd rather be covered in BAKI DUNG than Shadow Goo!" was his reply, of which made Samuel frown and pull back his paw, "At least Baki dung doesn't LEECH off of me, like some sick parasite!"

The corrupted Raposa seemed to stare down at Wilfre for a little while before finally asking, "Is that so?"

Wilfre let out a huff and tightened his grip on the sword. "Of course it's so!" Samuel seemed sad for a moment, before snapping his paw and like before, a loud roar cut through the building and shook it violently. Wilfre had to fight for his balance as the serpant beast rose from the floorboards, almost immediately drooling at the thought of having another snack so soon. Samuel let out a small sigh, but then smiled at his pet.

"Well then Wilfre," Samuel spoke, his mangled voice dripping with insanity, "Our master will be greatly disappointed by your decision, but I know we can all look on the dark side. And think 'Hey, at least you'll be a wonderful addition to our collection'!" While Samuel had said all this, Wilfre felt frozen on the spot as afterwards the beast let out another, louder roar that threatened to shatter the windows. Behind Wilfre, the doors were forced shut, Shadow Goo making a lock.

However, this was enough to snap Wilfre from his frozen stance, trying hard to not feel afraid of the large serpant that towered over him. Almost like lightning, he had to dodge as the beast hungrily leaned its head down to eat him whole. Hitting only air, the beast growled and lifted its head once more, though however not getting away from being sliced by Wilfre's sword. In rebuttal, the beast decided to spit out flaming Shadow Goo from its mouth, of which Wilfre acted quickly in dodging. When he couldn't dodge, he used the sword to deflect them.

He ran inside a row of seats after the serpant attempted eating again, but it simply gave chase, clumsily knocking over the rows of seats in the process. Wilfre had to admit that he was terrified of doing this; his own LIFE was at stake and he knew if he failed, not only would he be unable to get away, but all of the world would be doomed. It didn't take long before he was cornered, the serpant coming closer with every second. Thinking quickly, he got an idea, though it was crazy and risky.

Like he had expected, the serpant bent down to eat him up, and Wilfre jumped up high and landed on the beast's head. The serpant was surprised at not only missing its target but also for it now resting on its head. Growling more in anger, it lifted its head up again while Wilfre clung to it for dear life. He held on tighter but not being able to hold back some yells of fear as it started to violently shake its head to throw the snack off. It let out a loud hiss of annoyance when Wilfre refused to let go, shaking harder but quickly stopping as it soon got dizzy.

Seeing his chance, Wilfre held on by only using his legs as he gripped the sword up high, the sharpest end pointed downward. With all the strength he could muster, even if he was shaking pretty hard and his heart was pounding in his chest, he quickly stabbed the sword into the beast's head. It let out a loud wail of pain and swayed before hitting the ground entirely, while Wilfre was entirely thrown off halfway through and falling to the ground, though luckily not breaking any bones or landing in a row of seats. Nevertheless he cringed in pain at the contact, already feeling a trail of blood running down the back of his head. _Ah Rapo,_ he thought to himself, _I should've let it come closer to the ground first..._

Wilfre forced himself onto his back paws, even if it felt like his entire body was in shambles. All of him ached in pain as he stood shakily, panting from what he had to just experience. What he did however see was the serpant disintegrate into nothing, which did make him feel even a little bit better. It was short-lived however, because not too long afterwards Samuel leaped from the podium, and landed a good few feet away from Wilfre, making a loud thud noise as he did so. Putting a paw into the robe's sleeve, he pulled out what looked like a giant mace.

"Stubborn little Rapo, aren't you?" Samuel said flatly this time, no hint of humor in his tainted voice. "Just doesn't want to die..."

This made Wilfre stiffen in an offended matter, glaring hardly even though it hurt to make any movements. Through gritted teeth, he managed to reply. "You... You psychopath..." Samuel only held the mace tighter, giving it a few practice swings before holding onto it firmly.

"Me, a psychopath?" he answered, hissing from outrage and discust. "I'm a loyal S.H.A.D.O.W. preacher! YOU are nothing but a traitor. A filthy Raposa who won't either follow the S.H.A.D.O.W.'s rule or even join back into it! Actually, it was a good thing you weren't eaten by my pet; you would've tasted so horrible with your filthiness! It'd be better off if I just kill you with my own power!"

This allowed Wilfre enough time to recover from the high amount of pain he had endured, it having been so long since he'd actually fought anyone. He held his sword steady, preparing himself for what might come next from a Shadow Gooed Raposa, and finally saying without a hint of regret, "You talk way too much, Samuel. If you really want to kill me, you'll have to get on with it."

"FILTHY TRAITOR OF A RAPOSA!" Samuel practically screamed out at this point, raising the oversized mace up high, gritting his own teeth with what would be hatred in his hidden eyes. "YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE IN OUR RANKS ANYWAY! A TRAITOR LIKE YOU ONLY DESERVES DEATH!" As he had said this, a strange black aura seemed to surround him and make the room shake slightly as his tainted voice almost cracked the windows of the building. With another scream, the mace came crashing down towards Wilfre, and would've been a devestating hit if it hadn't been for Wilfre quickly getting out of the way. Instead, it only made a hole in the floor.

As Samuel struggled to pick up the mace again (as it was lodged in the hole), Wilfre managed to dart back and slice his sword against Samuel. Samuel recoiled immediately from the hit, Shadow Goo practically coming off with the sword before disappearing. Samuel managed to get the mace back out and lifted it once more, letting out another battle cry as it started to crash down again. Wilfre just barely managed to get out of reach as it made a second hole in the floor, while Samuel didn't seem to care as he this time easily lifted the mace out to attack a third time.

After Wilfre had managed to land another few hits the second time, he was beginning to see more and more of the real Samuel underneath, yet was far too corrupted still to show any signs from the inside. Lifting the mace up again, Samuel decided to change tactics by instead swinging in a side-to-side motion, Wilfre just barely moving back in time to only feel air hit against where it would've hit his torso, letting out a soft gasp from the closeness. Even so, Samuel swung it back and forth, moving closer every time, truly testing Wilfre's reflexes.

When Wilfre just about had it, he attempted blocking with his sword, hearing a sharp clang as the weapons collided. From the force however, it took all Wilfre's strength to stop the mace from it's intended movement. Samuel scowled, trying to move with more strength, and the weapons began to shiver in friction from both parties trying to outdo the other. However, Samuel seemed to have enough of this, and suddenly relaxing to throw Wilfre off. Once he was unbalanced by this, Samuel returned his strength and it dislodged the sword not only away from the mace, but out of Wilfre's paws and it slid across the floor a good amount of yards.

Wilfre yelped from the loss of his weapon, and completely had the wind knocked out of him when the mace swung again and collided with the side of his torso, causing him to fall to the ground and now in pain. Samuel let out a laugh of triumph as he approached the now helpless Wilfre, who clung to his side on the floor and biting back yells of pain. "PATHETIC PILE OF RAPOSA DUNG!" he chortled loudly, raising up the mace high once again, now aimed at Wilfre's head to deal with the final blow. "SO WEAK AND HELPLESS. IT WAS WRONG OF ME TO ASK YOU TO JOIN BACK TO US. AND NOW, NOTHING BUT THE COLD GRIP OF DEATH AWAITS YOU, TRAITOR!"

Wilfre blinked back tears from the pain in his side as he stared up at Samuel, then shutting them tightly with drooped ears, knowing there was no way he could dodge this without looking pathetic or getting hit in a different place that would only make this more painful. Only to himself he pleaded for either the sweet release of death or a miracle that would save his life, though believed in the former more.

He had to open his eyes in curiosity when he suddenly heard a window shatter, followed by Samuel shrieking in pain and dropping the mace behind him before he could throw it forward. Wilfre looked toward where the shatter noise came from, to see Mari sitting on the sill from the outside, holding onto a small throwing knife while winking with a soft smile. In the window right next to Mari's, sat Jowee with his acorn shooters, willing to fire if needed. It gave Wilfre enough energy to stand up and run to grab his sword, even if his side was still throbbing and the rest of his body ached from before. By the time he had gotten it in his paws, turned back toward Samuel to deal with him, he saw him forcibly tugging out a throwing knife from his shoulder, a bit of red, Raposa blood seeping out in a small trail.

"STUPID... DAUGHTER OF A RAPOSA..." Samuel seethed, throwing the knife to the ground and clutching his shoulder as it bled, "SUCH FILTHY, WEAK CREATURES... NEEDING TO FIGHT DIRTY AND COWARDLY..."

Wilfre approached Samuel, raising up his sword with all the strength he could muster, even if it trembled in his grasp. From seeing all of he could of the real Samuel underneath the Shadow Goo, he came to realize just how much he was in pain. He knew how it felt to be in that kind of pain; the kind that used your body for its own uses, not caring if it gained wounds or tired; not caring if the leeching drained them dry. Deep down in Wilfre's heart, something clicked inside. He had to set him free.

"I know what it's like, Samuel," he said to him, his tone more soft and sympathetic. "I will save you from this parasite; forever." Giving a kind smile even as Samuel faced him with a deep snarl, he slid his sword down quickly, thinking of what it was meant to do. Before all the Raposa around knew it, the Shadow Goo - not Samuel - gave out an anguished, pained cry as it shifted off of the Raposa, before fading away completely. The now freed Samuel fell to his knees in exhaustion, before being caught into Wilfre's arms as he passed out.

"It's alright now," was all Wilfre could say as he held onto him, speaking in a soothing matter, "You're free at last."


	6. 06 Future in Flames

Thank you so much for the reviews. I'm glad to see the story is picking up well and looks like it will be finished. I hope I get to, to be honest. I'd like to see it though to the end. Hopefully I will.

Parodies galore in this one; try to guess them all. Beware of cliffhangers.

* * *

><p>06. Future in Flames<p>

"When do you think he'll wake up?" Jowee asked in a whisper, "It's a miracle he didn't disappear..."

It was now late into the afternoon, hours after the attack on the Church of Shadow. When the moment of tenderness between an ironically unconscious Samuel and Wilfre started, the building had began to shake violently, the roof tearing itself apart and pieces of it falling into the room. It made Mari and Jowee fall off their sills in disarray. While the roof was collasping in on the building, the pictures hung on the wall fell to the ground, one by one; each shadowed out picture of a Raposa floating out of each and flying into the sky, disappearing without a trace. Wilfre wasted no time in putting Samuel on his back and running out of the building as swiftly as he could, using his sword to slice the Shadow Gooed lock clean off the doors.

The building had come down and started disappearing by the time they had managed to get out. If they had been a second later, they probably wouldn't have made it out alive. Wilfre was panting by the time they were able to survey the scene, while Jowee and Mari quickly joined them. When they offered to carry Samuel to the house, Wilfre refused to let him go, no matter what they had tried to say. So, they all headed back to the house to treat both of their wounds, while Wilfre stubbornly carried the still unconscious Samuel.

It was so strange, both Mari and Jowee were thinking, So strange to see Wilfre so... Selfless.

Once they had reached the house at last, Wilfre was still refusing to let anyone else carry Samuel as he went up the stairs, while Jowee and Mari followed. Only when they had reached Wilfre's room did he finally set Samuel down - on his bed. THIS made Mari and Jowee's jaws drop nearly to the floor in awe of this. When Wilfre had noticed, they tried to hide it, though he rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" he had asked. Both shook their heads, trying to act like nothing was wrong, before proceeding to bandage their - not just Samuel's, but Wilfre's as well - wounds. For Samuel, they had to remove his robe (which was drenched in blood), to find that the ginger-furred Raposa had nothing else underneath it. At the sight of this Mari blushed deeply and decided she'd rather treat Wilfre's wounds while Jowee tended to Samuel. Jowee was heavily confused about why this was (as he wore no pants), but shrugged. Luckily the wound in Samuel's shoulder where Mari's throwing knife had hit him wasn't too deep, so it should heal naturally within the week, they figured.

When they had finished, Samuel was lain in Wilfre's bed to rest. Since then, he had been watched carefully, his only signs of life being a pulse and his deep breathing.

"Yeah it was," Mari agreed with a nod, "So Wilfre's theory was right all along. But we've done all we really can do. All we can hope for now is for him to recover on his own."

Jowee nodded at that in return, but then gasped in glee. "Oh, remember how awesome that was? Like, how the serpant thing was all 'RAWRRRR!' but Wilfre's all like 'Die, monster! You do not belong in this world!'."

Wilfre couldn't help but chuckle lightly, though kept his eyes on the still unconscious Samuel. _Even if I didn't say THAT, _he thought to himself,_ It does sound a bit humorous. What else can that excitable Raposa come up with?_ Mari seemed to be smiling knowingly, having a face that read 'Here he goes again'.

"And then," Jowee continued, sounding like a young Rapo at this point, "Wilfre jumps on the serpant's head, stabs into it and the serpant's like 'AAAUUUUGH' and dies! Ohohoh, then the Shadow Goo is all like 'How dare you kill my peeeet' and Wilfre's all like 'Hahaha, you're next bro!' So they fight and Mari throws a knife like 'Whooosh' and the Shadow Goo goes "AUUGH YOU DIRTY RAPOSA!' Then Wilfre's all like 'Gotcha!' and SLICE, the Shadow Goo is goooone!"

Wilfre had a very hard time controlling his laughter while Mari was outright cracking up. "Jowee, only YOU can make this sound funny...!" she managed through her laughter. While Jowee appeared proud of himself at making her laugh, he seemed to nudge Wilfre a bit with his elbow.

"C'mon, it's okay to laugh!" he said to him then added kiddingly, with a bit of a fake sinister whisper, "Why so serious?"

Like a cork being flung off a bottle, Wilfre suddenly burst out into uncontrollable laughter, a loud laughter that just couldn't be held inside anymore. This caused Jowee to jump backwards in surprise, not imagining that it would've gotten that effect, especially from someone like Wilfre. Seeing this, Mari couldn't help but giggle more, then proceeding to help Jowee to his feet while he was blushing a bit in embarrassment. Afterward, she said teasingly, "You made Wilfre LAUGH!"

Wilfre clung to his side, trying to stop laughing because it was hurting it badly. Yet somehow it felt so nice to laugh so much, as it had been a long time since he could genuinely do so. Yet, he managed to let out a "Oh, quiet you!" before decomposing into laughter once more.

Jowee looked upon his handiwork and chuckled a little himself, watching as Wilfre simply wallowed in laughter, almost falling from the chair he was sitting in. "I... I guess I did!" he said at last. Once Wilfre had finally calmed his laughter and was now panting a bit, Jowee gave a small smile and placed a paw on his shoulder. "See? Not so bad to laugh, is it?"

Then, Wilfre seemed to look at him with a small pout, wanting to reply with a retort, but sighed at last in admitance. Instead, he nodded a bit. "It had been so long since I laughed like that," he said, then returning his stare at Samuel, who somehow had slept right through this. "So VERY long..." Right after saying that, he remembered what he had dreamed of last night, wanting to frown but didn't want the others to see.

Mari came a bit closer to the two, then asked in a soft voice, "How long ago was it...?" While Jowee began to frown himself from both of their tones, he judged quickly that something was amiss. Wilfre however was unsure of how to respond to Mari without possibly falling to pieces from those... Those bad memories.

_She promised she would vouch for me if we got out of it alive,_ he couldn't help but think, _But now, she'll never get that chance. I'll have to do it for her._

Finally, he was able to find his voice again, and took a deep breath, but hoped they didn't hear. "Do you remember when... When I took the color away?" When they both nodded, he continued, "You remember why I tried to do that, don't you?"

Mari seemed to tilt her head to the side, wondering why he was suddenly bringing something from the past up. "Well, yeah. We all know why you did that. You thought that if you could take all the color away, it would destroy the link between us and the Creator, and then would eventually... Well, destroy her."

"If it wasn't for the Hero back then," Jowee added, though wasn't speaking in a joking manner this time, "You'd probably have all the color to yourself and the Creator would probably be dead."

_That's not the reason!_ Wilfre screamed in his head. _Why would they think THAT? No, it was to keep Mike from waking up! _Wilfre turned to face them now, completely bewildered by their answers.

"No, that's not it," he replied to them, "Don't you remember that if the color was restored, Mike would wake up from his coma and we would die?"

This time, both of them blinked in confusion. "Mike...?" Jowee said first, then turned to Mari. "Did you know someone named Mike...?" Mari shook her head, shrugging.

"Mike," Wilfre said, starting to get both irritated and freaked out, "He had the weird ears, remember?"

"Weird ears...?" Mari thought about this fairly hard, then frowned. "It doesn't ring a bell. Did you know someone like that?"

Wilfre sighed warily before he responded, going back to normal in his chair. "Yes, I did... You all did, in fact. Heather, too. I'm not sure why you wouldn't remember them. They had to do with so much of our world..." At this point, both Jowee and Mari were looking at him like he'd possibly gone crazy.

"Are you sure we knew them?" Mari asked him, feeling more concerned than anything else, "I think if we did, we'd remember them..."

"I couldn't just be remembering something false," he replied, now a bit sadly and his ears slowly drooping, "I KNOW they were around... And they aren't now, but they were once... Mike and Heather. I think... I think they were siblings, somehow."

"I remember them..." This made everyone jump, but then looked at the bed. Though he was still deep in the covers (possibly because that robe was all he wore), they saw a now conscious Samuel. No longer corrupted, as his voice was quiet but rich and wise. "They had to go home, where they belonged..."

His ears nearly went deaf as the others shouted out his name in relief. Either way, he let out a tiny chuckle, looking around a little. "I was finally saved..."

"Finally...?" Jowee repeated, blinking at that.

Samuel nodded with a small smile. "Yes, finally. Though, let me explain..."

_A fire crackled over some firewood, though was safe from causing a forest fire by being surrounded in stones. The hooded Raposa sat in front of it, cross-legged and had his arms resting along his knees. Even if the hood covered the upper part of his face, his eyes were closed in concentration._

_He thought of what had happened before he was able to do this. Oh yes, the one called Wilfre. He let his questioning and jealousy take advantage of him, and the next thing that was known, most of the pages of the Book of Life were scattered around the Raposa world. Then, after plunging most of it into darkness, goo, fog and snow, he returned to the village, now covered in the goo himself._

_Samuel also remembered when he decided to live out in the forest, in isolation and to escape the goo's reach. For a while, things seemed alright, safe and remote. Living in a giant but friendly tree named Deadwood, he was treated like an honored guest. However, it soon came to an end when those Shadow Bats found him, chased him, and eventually trapped him in a cage made of Shadow Goo. Wilfre came not too long later, corrupting the very tree who gave him shelter from the goo that now trapped him._

_Then it wasn't until the Hero heard his cries for help and freed him after defeating Deadwood. Upon returning to the village, he was surprised to be greeted so warmly, even after his... Well, abrupt departure to the forest. Plus since this Hero had gone through the trouble of rescuing him, he figured it was safe to stay in the village again. As he had learned that Wilfre was the one controlling the shadows, he advised the Hero that the world would be rid of darkness if Wilfre was defeated._

_Now in the present time, peace was finally restored. Well, excluding the Bakis but that had nothing to do with Wilfre; they've always been nictorious for being pains in the side. Samuel sighed a bit to himself, relaxing more and only listening to the crackle of the fire and focusing more about his meditation. Yes, the second time Wilfre was defeated, it was when he was also in disguises, and stealing color. Oh, if the color had been taken away, the Raposa world would've been at his mercy, all right. The Creator would be dead, the world would be colorless, and whoever was left would be..._

_He huffed softly at the thought, trying to push it aside. The Hero came to save not just the village this time, but other villages they'd never heard about. In fact, tourism began shortly after, with Raposa coming in from Watersong, Lavasteam, and Galactic Jungle; and some of the villagers went to visit those places as well. All thanks to Turtlerock! On top of this, Wilfre had to be dead this time; there was no way he would've survived what the Hero did to him._

_No, not him. It. What the Hero did to It._

_He once even heard a rumor a long while back, after Wilfre had been defeated the first time. A scornful female Raposa was going to resurrect him from the grave. No one really knew why she was so willing to bring a monster back to life, as she had been the village deputy. Though according to the rumor, it failed and she was eaten up by her own twisted creation. It was even worse looking than Wilfre, witnesses said. Though, most seem to agree that it was what it was - a rumor._

_Well, since the horrors were finally over once and for all, there shall be eternal peace at last-_

When offered, join the S.H.A.D.O.W.

_Samuel snapped his eyes open, looking around the forest even though his hood was still covering his upper face. In front of him, the fire seemed to make shapes. The first showed an image of a Raposa on a giant scorpion, holding a rectangular object. The second showed various Shadow creatures roaming the land. The third image showed the village in shambles, surrounded by a huge crater. "No..." he couldn't help but say, shaking his head a bit, "That's impossible...!"_

Don't be afraid, Samuel. You will be saved by a gray-furred Raposa of the past.

_"Gray-furred?" he replied aloud, only able to stare at the flames, a final image being shown. A Raposa with a ponytail, weilding the Hero's Sword. Once Samuel had a good look at it, the image faded, and all that was left was normal flames. He listened carefully for the voice, staring into the flames for any more clues, but nothing._

_What did it all mean...?_

"...So yes, I knew all of this was going to happen," Samuel continued, "By sending me signs and telling me what I must do, I willingly joined those things. I also knew that if I tried to explain what had to be done, all of you would've probably tried to prevent me from doing so. And then, the gray-furred Raposa of the past would have no reason to save me, nor the rest of the world, by not seeing just how corrupt the S.H.A.D.O.W. is."

"Oh Rapo..." Mari put her paw over her mouth as she said this, blinking in awe. "It's like the Creator..."

"...Knew this was going to happen..." Jowee added, just as much in shock.

"...And made this plan to motivate me enough to become a protagonist," Wilfre finished with a sigh.

"If you wish to put it in that perspective," Samuel replied to all three of them, "Then yes. Exactly like that. Most likely, you wouldn't have cared so much if the Church of Shadow didn't exist. You had to be shown one of the many reasons WHY the S.H.A.D.O.W. has to be stopped. And I have to tell you now; our village isn't the only place that appears to be a disaster."

"You mean the other villages are like this too?" Mari's eyes widened at this. "Nowhere is safe?"

"Watersong, Lavasteam, and Galactic Jungle?" Jowee asked in response, "But those places are far away! We'd need Turtlerock to go anywhere! And besides, did the S.H.A.D.O.W. even reach so far?"

"With all the time that passed," Samuel nodded, though frowned at the truth, "That would be inevitable."

"So that means..." Wilfre started, then paused for reflection before continuing, "The Mayors there are probably one of them, too."

Samuel nodded once again, though looked even sadder that as he was once a S.H.A.D.O.W. minion, he knew so much more than they did. "Yes, it is so. They're all corrupted like I was. If we're going to have any hope in stopping that empire, we'll have to free those Mayors first. It will-"

All the Raposa in the room let out yelps of fright as the ground suddenly started shaking. "What's happening?" Mari yelled out, trying to hold onto a wall. Wilfre yelped as the chair he had sat in fell clean backward and took him with it, while Jowee teetered on his balance.

"Hurtsithurtsithurts...!" Samuel hissed in pain, clinging to his shoulder after trying to sit up.

"I'm sorry, Samuel!" Mari replied, trying still to keep from falling over from this odd earthquake. Samuel shook his head, still clinging but smiling just a bit in understanding.

"No," he replied, "Don't be sorry. You did what you had to do to ensure I was freed by Wilfre." After saying this, the earthquake stopped, and the Raposa looked around warily to see if it really was over. When it was, they let out a sigh of relief. However, a sudden feeling washed over Wilfre and it caused him to become... Frightened out of his wits. Shivers ran down his spine, his legs were shaking like crazy, and his face had noticably paled.

_Why?_ he thought to himself, while the others looked to him in concern, _Why do I suddenly feel like this? What could possibly scare me so badly to the point where I want to scream like a little Rapo girl? _He could feel cold sweat beading along his face, a sickening chill going through his body and now, his stomach was flipping with no end in sight.

"Wilfre?" Mari came close to him, worried for his sudden change in behavior, "Are you alright?"

Wilfre opened his mouth to respond, but his words died in his throat and the feelings only became worse when he heard a very familiar, but very disturbing voice that had haunted him for so long. It started with a cackle that made everyone stare at the sudden newcomer, who all gasped in horror. The newcomer was completely covered in Shadow Goo, or at least was made out of it, and had the appearence of Wilfre. The person only grinned manically and, in that cold voice that was really Wilfre's but mangled and distorted, said simply:

"He will be soon."


	7. 07 Tripping the Shadow

Two reviews on it's premier day? I couldn't believe that. Thanks to all of you who review.

Thought it would be best to give this guy a name, and to finally find out the acronym's meaning once and for all.

And without further ado, I end the cliffhanger.

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><p>07. Tripping the Shadow<p>

"You...!" Mari cried out in rage, "You're...! You're...!"

"Yes, filthy Raposa," was his answer, "I am Sly Hazard And Design Of Wilfre. But for you brainless lot, Sly would be easier to remember!"

None of the Raposa could move and almost forgot to breathe as Sly entered the room fully. His face seemed to change from complete malice into one that almost seemed loving as he approached Wilfre. Wilfre however shuttered from even looking into the person's eyes as their own tore into his. Finally, he said with a sickening chuckle, "Hello, Wilfre. Long time no see, huh? I see you're feeling MUCH better."

Mari glared harshly at Sly, pulling out a throwing knife. "You...! You leave him alone! You gave him to us when you took the Book of Life, remember?"

The shadowed person looked at Mari with a bored expression, before making one of his paws into a heavily oversized hand and reaching his arm out to her like a rubber band. Mari tried to get away, but was soon encased in its vice grip, her throwing knife clattering to the ground. While Mari let out a yelp and began to struggle, Wilfre was frozen on the spot. "Let her GO!" Jowee managed to say, his acorn shooters ready to fire.

In response, Sly let out a smirk, his other arm becoming like the first and doing the same thing to Jowee. Jowee struggled against the hand he was trapped in, even trying to reach down to grab one of the shooters, but was lifted away from them and he let out a whine. Finally, Samuel seemed to hide more under the covers of the bed, hoping he wouldn't get trapped as well or even be noticed as not a minion.

"Now, where was I?" Sly pretended to think for a moment, before boring his pure white eyes into Wilfre's again, "Oh yes. I see you've healed up quite nicely. Though do tell me... Why are you even hanging around with these creatures? They don't understand us."

At first Wilfre couldn't even speak, even though he wanted nothing more than to tell this evil monster off. After a bit, he replied, though a little bit stuttery. "I think they understand well enough. Set them down, NOW." In response, the shadowed person scoffed, but only held both of the Raposa tighter while they let out screams.

"Oh, don't tell me you actually think they're..." then Sly began to laugh wickedly before continuing, "You actually BELIEVE they're your FRIENDS now? Wilfre, you need to wake up!"

Wilfre's ears drooped from Jowee and Mari's cries, beginning to stare Sly down. "It's a FACT!" he yelled out this time, while all of them were unaware of Samuel causiously reaching out for Wilfre's sword to give to him. "They care about me more than you ever did!"

Sly only half paid attention to Wilfre, soon noticing Samuel reaching for the sword. He let out a screeching "AHA!" as he made a fake arm come out of his back, proceeding to do what he had to both Mari and Jowee, making him as far from the weapon as possible. "Hello, Samuel. Whatever happened to you? Where's your Shadow?"

Letting out cringes of pain from being held tightly, Samuel managed to say quietly, "The prophecy is being fulfilled. You cannot stop it."

While Sly was distracted by Samuel, Wilfre dashed over to the sword and grasped it tightly in his paws. "Prophecy?" Sly scoffed, "What prophecy? I have almost the entire Raposa world in my grasp! As if empty words can save you now!"

"Samuel said that he would be saved by a gray-furred Raposa of the past," Wilfre responded as he came back toward Sly, his facial expression full of hatred. "That Raposa is ME. I freed him from that curse. Now, if you're going to try to make him come back to you, you'll have to think again."

"Ooooh," Sly replied with fake fear and giggling with mirth, "I'm SO scared! I honestly can't believe you're actually SIDING with these things. So dependant on their so-called Creator to do everything for them. They don't deserve you; you're much better than that! But if you're going to be so stubborn, I'll have no choice but to take you back by force!" The three Raposa trapped in the hands let out more cries of both fear and pain as the hands began to very slowly tighten their grasps. Wilfre's eyes widened and he glared more at him, who only began to laugh with insanity.

"Come back to me," he giggled, "Or they die!"

At first, it seemed obvious what the choice would be; to join back with the S.H.A.D.O.W. and become Sly's slave like before; which would spare three precious Raposa lives, whom were now his friends. While he would end up betraying the first friends he had since so long ago, their lives would be spared because he cared about them. On the other paw, he could refuse to go back to Sly's control in loyalty to the Raposa he now cared about; but then the three of them would perish, never being able to see the world bright and normal once more.

"Wilfre...!" Mari managed to let out a small yell, even if it was getting harder to speak, "Do something...! Anything...!"

He jumped at hearing her voice, then began to panic from being put under even more pressure. "Give me a minute...!" Mari sighed a bit in irritation but cried out a little as the hand holding her tightened more, even at that very slow pace. Continuing to think, Wilfre came to a conclusion. Both choices wouldn't be good in some way, so there had to be a way to trick Sly...

"I'm WAITING," Sly groaned a bit in impatience, "If you have ANY heart left in you, you'd hurry in your decision!"

_Heart...?_ Wilfre repeated the word in his head, an idea beginning to form. _That's it! Heart!_

"Okay..." Wilfre said at last, taking a deep breath, hoping it'd work. "I'll join you." At this, all three Raposa gasped in astonishment from his answer. There were different ways to interpret the decision he was making. Wilfre could've been simply trying to save them by sacrificing himself, he could be genuinely betraying them, or maybe somehow Sly had convinced him something that they hadn't known. Wilfre seemed to notice their unease, giving them a small smile and a secret wink, adding "Trust me, it's for the best."

Since the grips were loosening, Jowee replied with "But Wilfre, you can't...! You know what will happen if you...!"

"Yeah!" Mari added, "You'll become what you were so long ago...! You're not like that anymore!"

Samuel thought about what he was wanting to say, but then let out a long sigh of acceptance. "I say we trust his decision."

Both Mari and Jowee responded with disagreement while Sly cackled, another fake arm (this time a normal one) came out where his right shoulder was, reaching his paw towards Wilfre. "I knew you'd come to understand what these filthy, brainless creatures obviously cannot." Wilfre didn't respond to the arm held out in front of him, shaking his head.

"First though," he responded, even if he was wanting to slice him in half for saying what he had just now, "I want to see you keep your end of the deal."

Sly huffed impatiently, stamping the floor and leaving a bit of Shadow Goo in the spot. "Very well," he finally answered, making the fake arms slowly lower the trapped Raposa to the ground before freeing them from its grasps. As they hit the floor with soft thuds, they stared dazily at the two still standing. "There, free to go, alive and well. Now; YOUR end of the deal!"

From behind his back, Wilfre was clinging onto his sword tightly, knowing what he had to do next. "Alright, fair enough," he said in fake happiness, "Take me."

"With pleasure!" Sly laughed loudly from his answer, a pair of giant hand-shaped things coming off of his shadowed body, ready to trap Wilfre in it and drag him into the shadowed Raposa. Wilfre's paws were white from how tightly he was holding his sword, waiting for the right moment to put the next part of his plan into action. Meanwhile, the three who had to watch each had fear in their eyes, but somehow knew they could trust Wilfre.

When the hand-like things were close enough, Wilfre suddenly raised the sword over his head, letting out a loud yell. Sly hissed in pain when Wilfre's sword suddenly came down and hacked at the hands, taking a few steps back. This was strange; the Hero's Sword never hurt him this much before...! On top of this, not only was it painful, but the Shadow Goo that was hit was now gone.

"WHAT?" Sly screamed out, still in pain from the attack, though it quickly faded once some more Shadow Goo took its place. "WILFRE, HOW-? WHY WOULD YOU-? YOU SAID THAT-!"

Wilfre held his sword back up at the ready. "I know I said I'd join you, under the condition that you freed my FRIENDS first. That wasn't enough to let you know how much I really WANTED to come back, was it?" To prove his point, he ran over to the Raposa and stood in front of them. Sly glared angrily at Wilfre, snarling deeply.

"But they're heaping piles of Raposa dung!" he retorted in his rage, "You said so yourself that the Hero deserved better than helping those things! You should remember that before suddenly deciding to SIDE with them!" When Wilfre didn't answer, he suddenly laughed again. "You really have been asleep for too long, haven't you? The enemy are your friends now... Well, what would they think of you when you finally come back to me? Let's see the truth out of them!"

Wilfre tried to respond, but nothing would come out. When the others tried to reply, Sly suddenly made more of his Shadow Goo to cover their heads, their faces becoming much like Sly's, glaring at Wilfre with hatred. He turned to see them glaring... Right into his soul, even. The glaring faces then began to speak to him, each voice being corrupted and tainted from the Goo.

"You're such a traitor, Wilfre. I can't believe we thought we could trust you!"

"Don't you feel ANYTHING when you did this? What about our friendship?"

"Obviously the gray-furred Raposa of the past wasn't you. After all, there are many in the world."

They began to stand up, and it began to freak Wilfre out as the faces looked more like normal, but still glaring at him with daggers. Mari was even trying not to cry from her anger, coming up and clawing him rather harshly in the face. After Wilfre let out a cry of pain, Jowee crossed his arms with a deep scowl, coming up as well and shoving Wilfre back a good few steps. At this point, Wilfre lost his balance and now was sitting on the floor, having dropped his sword with a loud clang. Samuel had grabbed the bedsheet and wrapped it around his body, before scornfully staring down at Wilfre in complete discust.

"WHY are you so Rapo heartless, Wilfre? I see now the Creator was trying to tell us NOT to trust you!"

"You were just PRETENDING to care about us, that's all! All along you were waiting for Sly to take you back and leave us to DIE!"

"You are the most repulsive Raposa I have ever seen in my life. It's as if NOTHING will change you or make you realize it."

Even though Wilfre knew they were just being controlled by Sly's power of possession, it still seemed so much like what they would really say. Forcing himself to break the gaze from all three of the Raposa, he saw Sly staring at him with that loving gaze once again.

"Don't you see Wilfre?" he said, now in a soft, comforting tone, "The moment you come back to me is the moment they hate you. They never liked you at all! You know that if they did, they would at least accept your choice. They only care about themselves and that stupid prophecy. Lazy, selfish, greedy... Just like always! Even when you were a young little Rapo, they didn't care!"

From his words and staring into his eyes, Wilfre's face began to change into an expression of being abandoned. "But... I..." he choked out, not wanting to believe it, "They... But..."

"You had so much potential, so many brilliant ideas on how to make their world better," Sly continued on, his voice now absolutely dripping with false compassion that seemed so real, "But they just push you away and call you crazy. Back then, all you could do was just take the pain, even shut away your ideas. You were so unique, Wilfre. It's their fault for not giving you a chance to express it."

By this time, Wilfre had begun to glare. "It..." he started with a little growl, "It IS their fault! All of it! No wonder I felt what I did! They wouldn't accept me for who I was, so... So I had to..." A fake arm reached out for him, then wrapping around his shoulders comfortingly, urging him forward; Wilfre obediantly came closer to Sly. "They were... So cruel to me..."

Sly nodded at him, patting his head a little now. "Such big meanies, right?"

"Yes..." Wilfre agreed, feeling a bit better from being patted, though his demeanor was derailing to that of a young Rapo. "They are... Such big meanies! Bad Rapos...! They never heared me out, never gived me a chance. They even maked fun of my hair! They were so mean to me...!"

Seeing that Wilfre was so close to allowing his control, Sly began to let the possessing trick fade away from the other three Raposa, and they fainted, falling to the floor. Putting his paw on Wilfre's cheek and rubbing it softly, he crooned gently, "Then come back to me, Wilfre. I would never be mean to you. Together, we'll show those meanies what happens when they treat someone so special as you that way." In response, Wilfre gave a small smile of happiness, holding his own arms out toward Sly. Chuckling softly, he brought his arms forward and enveloped Wilfre into a hug, while Wilfre held him in return almost immediately.

"You're the only one who understanded me..." Wilfre whispered, tears of happiness forming in his eyes. He didn't even seem to mind the fact the Shadow Goo was starting to encase him into Sly's body, slowly but surely. "You're the bestest fwiend a Wapo could have..." As Wilfre had said this, Jowee stirred and opened his eyes from fainting before. Why he fainted in the first place he didn't know. Rubbing his eyes a little, he looked up, hearing Wilfre say something. Then his eyes widened and he almost gasped.

Looking around, he noticed Mari and Samuel were also unconscious in this same place. He thought little of why this was and more of how to save Wilfre from submitting to Sly. As he kept looking frantically, he found one of his acorn shooters, and very quietly reached out for it, hoping he wouldn't get caught. Once he had it in his paws, he took aim, making sure it was right at Sly's head, then fired.

Sly reeled back when the acorn hit his face, hissing loudly again. The reeling back caused the hug to be stopped, Wilfre being freed from the Shadow Goo that had been encasing him before. Wilfre blinked a little from being seprarated, then looking to see Jowee with his acorn shooter, getting onto his feet to fire a second time. Jowee was giving Sly a glare of determination by this time.

"I don't think I want to know how you changed Wilfre's mind," he said, taking aim right at Sly, "But he's NOT going back to you! He... He's one of US now!" From this shout, Samuel stirred from his faint, looking around and wondering just what had happened here. Holding the bedsheet close to him, he looked and saw Mari still passed out on the floor next to him. He nudged at her shoulder, hoping to make her awaken.

While this was all going on, Wilfre shook his head, trying to get his mind back together, as being torn away from Sly had made him dazy. "What... What the Wa-Rapo is going on...?" When Mari finally stirred, she nudged Samuel's paw away with a tiny groan, before getting completely awake.

"I think Sly may've used some kind of brainwashing technique," Samuel then responded after seeing Wilfre's state. "Something similar to what he just now used on us. I don't remember what he made us do or say, but I do know he did it."

Sly growled from Samuel's words. "Not as brainless as I thought," he scoffed nevertheless, "But still quite stupid. If only I kept the spell working for a few moments longer, he would've been MINE. And I never would let him out of my sight again."

"WHAT?" Mari yelled out, piecing together what had happened. "You were persuading him to go back to you with LIES?"

Jowee gasped at this, finding his way to grab his other acorn shooter and picking it up. "And BRAINWASHING?"

"Well yes," Sly seemed to smirk, "But only since push came to shove... If he really was so willing, I would've assumed he tricked you all into being his 'friends' to guide you to the path of S.H.A.D.O.W. But no, he truly IS becoming one of you; a filthy Raposa."

_So Sly was lying to me this whole time,_ Wilfre thought, a growl coming out of his throat, _Making them lie, making me lie to myself, and... Why does he have to lie so much? _While he thought this and Sly being distracted once more, he got a better idea. Sly seemed to be very sensitive to the Hero's Sword, at least when Wilfre weilded it. So if he could just give him a good enough hit, they could all make a run for it!

_But to where...? Well, the dock is still there... And I think Turtlerock is, too..._ Soon, the plan came together, and he grabbed his sword, holding it tightly and waiting for the right time to attack.

"Knowing what the S.H.A.D.O.W. really is like underneath all the 'happiness' and 'perfection' makes all Raposa realize they should never be a part of it," Samuel was replying to Sly, "Especially moreso that there was the chance to see right here in this village." Mari stood up, gathering her throwing knife and holding it steady.

"It would actually teach us how corrupt it is," she added, "That it has to be stopped at all costs!"

"What, you're all going to gang up on me?" Sly let out a laugh, seeing them getting their weapons, "And what, fight me? I'm the LORD OF SHADOWS! Not even if you all attacked me at once you'd be able to hurt me!" Wilfre was sneaking up to Sly as he continued to talk, and the other three seemed to notice but didn't make it obvious. Once close enough, Wilfre sliced him pretty hard along the spine, while Sly let out a loud scream of pain and surprise.

"Everyone out of the house NOW!" Wilfre yelled out over the scream, giving another hit for good measure while Jowee, Samuel and Mari fled the room and proceeded out of the house. Once he was sure they had a good distance, he whacked at Sly one last time before fleeing himself.

"YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY FROM ME!" Sly hissed in rage, shooting his arm out like a bit ago to grasp Wilfre, ending up catching him by the ponytail. This made Wilfre cry out in surprise, hacking behind him wildly with his sword until the hand let go, fleeing once again.

This time, it didn't take long for Wilfre to reach the front door, not hesitating to bolt right out of it. Outside, the three Raposa were waiting for him, wondering just what they have to do. Samuel was not only holding onto the bedsheet still (to cover himself up), but also had gotten his robe back, though it was still soaking wet. Mari had explained that it needed to be washed, from all the blood that had gotten on it.

By this time, Wilfre was panting a bit, almost unable to talk. "Wilfre, what do we have to-" Mari began, before she was cut off by a roar so loud it shook the village like the earthquake before.

"T-TURTLEROCK!" Wilfre managed to gasp out, beginning to run off to the dock while the others followed, though they were confused.

"Turtlerock...?" Jowee asked when they got there, "You mean we have to-"

"YES!" Wilfre groaned, pushing for everyone to get onto Turtlerock. "We don't have very much time! We've got to leave NOW!" Samuel, Mari and Jowee boarded just in time for Sly to land in front of the dock, the landing so hard it shook the village once again.

"WHY MUST YOU BE SO DIFFICULT?" he screeched out, so much in rage that if he wanted to, he would've torn the rest of the village apart. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WILFRE WHO DREW ME TO LIFE? THE ONE WHO WANTED TO PROVE THAT THINGS COULD BE DONE BETTER?"

Wilfre let out a battle cry and sliced at Sly one last time before boarding Turtlerock, surprised to find that immediately afterwards it departed from the dock. Stepping away from the boarding point, he answered Sly simply, "He grew up."

In rage, Sly leaped once again to get onto Turtlerock, only for Wilfre to hit him in defense. Instead of reaching his target, Sly fell into the water and sunk into the depths. Wilfre would've been relieved if it really was the end of him, but knew better than to think this.

It was far from over. Yet, it was for now.


	8. 08 Silence in Watersong

New chapter! Merry Christmas!

I'll be honest here... I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback from chapter 07. I half-expected flames or critique based on the fact I had to introduce Sly as the villain of this story; whom beforehand didn't really have a name. I see now that, thankfully, he was pretty well received. Or at least, didn't cause the story to fall apart.

By the way, just a question... Out of our heroes so far, (Wilfre, Mari, Jowee and Samuel) who do you think would corrupt to Sly's power, and why?

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><p>08. Silence in Watersong<p>

Looking up, Wilfre noticed for the first time that the sail was a simple bedsheet; the very same one that covered Samuel's body before. Right now, he was below deck, resting up. Samuel had said before that it had been so long since he was able to truly sleep. Wilfre had nodded in understanding, remembering the many times where he had to go through the same thing. It was just so terrible when Sly would endlessly use his body for his schemes, no matter how exhausted he would become.

So now, he headed inside the... Well, what was called the Map room, to find Jowee and Mari debating over where they all should go. They were so deep in their argument that they didn't hear Wilfre pad into the room, more or less curiously. Gazing a little at the map, he looked at the marked locations. _Most likely how they found those villages,_ he thought to himself, reading labels like Watersong, Lavasteam, Galactic Jungle, the Raposa village, and even... Dare he think about it, Wilfre's Wasteland. The more he thought about that one, the more he realized he really didn't have an eye for architecture. However, it didn't stop him from grinning softly with a quiet chuckle, which caused Mari and Jowee to stop their argument and notice he was in the room.

"Hey, Wilfre!" Mari started, though was a bit in shock that he had heard them. "Jowee and I were... DISCUSSING where we should go, and I think Galactic Jungle would be best, because it's the last place Sly would look to find us..."

"But uh," Jowee replied, though a bit miffed and crossing his arms, "I was SUGGESTING Lavasteam, since you know, it has those cool Robosa... And it's a cool place in general..."

"Jowee," Mari groaned with an eyeroll, "That's NOT a good reason to go to Lavasteam!"

"Oh come oooon," Jowee went on his knees, and whined, "But but the Robosas are so cooooool...!" Thus, they began to argue once more, even if Jowee's reasons for going to Lavasteam weren't very crucial for their safety. Meanwhile, Wilfre studied the map once again, seeing how far away each location was from the Raposa village. Galactic Jungle WAS pretty far away, and would probably be the last place Sly would think about looking for them. Though, it's also so far away that it'd take quite a long time to get there.

As for Lavasteam, Wilfre did have to admit that the Robosa were great, but for mining. It was remote, but also wasn't as far away; for both good and bad reasons. Wilfre didn't even consider how Jowee claimed both the Robosa and the place being 'cool' as a good enough argument. Last but not least, there was Watersong; where it would take the least amount of time to get to, but also the most likely place for Sly to find them in...

"Watersong," he said after a while of thinking, which made Jowee and Mari stop their arguing once more. "It won't take nearly as long as either of those places. And since it's under Sly's rule, we can restore it and weaken his power."

"But wouldn't it be the first place he'd check to find us?" Mari asked, raising an eyebrow but not in a skepical way.

Wilfre nodded at that, but had a small, devious smile forming on his lips. "Yes, but if we restore Watersong, he'll be able to see just who he has to deal with. Not just some little resistance that can easily be put down, no; we need to make it clear to him that we are a threat to his empire."

"Oh, I get it!" Jowee exclaimed happily, a look of determination appearing on his face. "He won't be calling us weak and worthless when we restore Watersong from his rule! And... And we'll have much more Raposa on our side to help us take him down!"

"And with more Raposa on our side," Mari added, "It won't be as hard to weaken Sly further until he's got nothing left to fight us with but his own, bare, shadowed paws!"

"Exactly," Wilfre agreed with both, putting a paw over the location for Watersong, "And we'll start weakening him at where it's closest-" he paused a bit to shift his paw over to Lavasteam, then to Galactic Jungle, "And work our way around. Once we do, we'll have most of the Raposa world fighting with us, rather than living in fear of this corrupted empire it was taken over by. With four of the main villages taken away from him, Sly will be much more easy to defeat."

"Alright," Mari replied, "Watersong it is. Should take us about a week at the very least."

After she had said this, Jowee ran out of the Map room in glee, possibly just from going on adventure somewhere, yelling out "Setting course for Watersong!" as he ran. Wilfre couldn't help but chuckle from this and Mari rolled her eyes with a knowing smile.

"If you don't mind me saying," Wilfre said to Mari as they began to follow Jowee out of the room, "That Raposa is an excitable goofball."

At this, Mari giggled and nodded. Though letting Wilfre go outside first, she noticed something... Different. "Err... Wilfre, did you cut your hair or something? It looks shorter."

Wilfre paused outside of the room, out of the way so Mari could get out. He reached a paw to the back of his head, feeling for his ponytail. Mari hadn't lied; it did feel much shorter than before. "Ah," he replied, "Sly kinda grabbed my ponytail on the way out of the house, so I swung the sword at him without thinking. Must've chopped some of my hair off in the process."

Mari tilted her head a little to the side, blinking. Then, she replied teasingly, "Maybe shorter hair suits you, you never know." At this, Wilfre pouted playfully, crossing his arms across his chest.

"It'll grow back sooner than you think," he finally replied, but dropping the pout, "Besides... I think it needed a trim."

* * *

><p>Like Mari had said, it wasn't until a week after departing from the Raposa village when Watersong was in sight. Jowee couldn't help but let out an excited "Land ho!", which caused both Wilfre and Mari to chuckle at him. By this time, Samuel's and Wilfre's wounds had healed, which both were thankful for. However in Samuel's case, he had needed a little bit of physical therapy on account of Mari's throwing knife hitting him where it was close to the joint. On top of this, his robe was dry and clean, so he was now wearing it; though he decided to not have the hood cover his face anymore. No one really knew why this was, but they didn't want to question Samuel's decision.<p>

As the village of Watersong became closer and easier to see, it was clear that what Samuel had said before was right. The place was under Sly's power, and looked like it had been for quite a while. Everything was gray, the waters were still and mucky, there were no Raposa in the streets, and most of all - and it was the scariest part - there was no sound whatsoever. Everything was silent. Now, Watersong is well-known for its music, for the Raposa with singing talents, and even the mayors inherit a very powerful, even somewhat magical, singing voice. In fact it was so much so, that it was the key to prosperity.

To hear that such a village became so dead silent would possibly be the most out of character thing to imagine.

It didn't take much longer for Turtlerock to reach the dock for Watersong, where it was even more silent. It was so quiet in fact, the only things the four Raposa could even hear were their own breathing. Getting off the dock and heading into the streets, it was still so silent, that they heard their paws padding against the stone ground.

"I never thought it would be so... So silent," Jowee couldn't help but say, his ears drooping. "It's even worse than our village..."

"It's like either no one lives here anymore," Mari added, though quietly, "Or no one leaves their homes. I can't say I'd blame them, though. If our home was as bad as this, I don't think I'd want to leave the house either. I'd want to lock all the doors and windows..."

"I understand what that's like," Samuel nodded in agreement, "I myself fled to the forest to escape the Shadows' reach, to find a safe place to be until the threat passed. Turned out that even though I hid in a safe place, it found me anyway." Wilfre couldn't help but sigh a bit at the memory, though it was far from a happy one. Samuel seemed to notice this, frowning a bit himself before adding "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be bringing up a tender subject such as that."

Wilfre shook his head a bit, looking at him with a tiny, though fake, smile. "No no... I need to learn to accept the past and move on, that's all."

"If you say so," Samuel replied with a tiny bow of respect, though didn't seem to really believe a word he said. There was no way he would be so accepting of the past, he knew it in his heart. Jowee suddenly perked his ears up in surprise, listening to something carefully.

"Um guys..." he said quietly, though was still listening, "Tell me I'm not the only one hearing that." The others were silent, perking their ears upward like Jowee had, listening as carefully as they could. After a little while of straining, they did hear something. Very faint, but they heard it.

"It sounds like..." Mari whispered, thinking for a few seconds before continuing, "Vocalizing... Someone's singing!"

"Even though this place looks so depressing," Wilfre added, then blinking in realization, "Someone is singing... Wait, I think I recognize that voice!" With that, he sped off in search of where the voice was originating from, while the others quickly followed.

"You do?" Mari asked him, straining to hear more but it was almost impossible, "Who is it?"

"You'll see when we find her," was all Wilfre would say, continuing to run. After a while, they reached the one building none of the Raposa aside from Wilfre and Samuel expected to be in the village of Watersong; Mayor Rose's mansion. By now, the voice was much more easily heard, even if it was still vocalizing. Also at this point, not only could they hear vocalizing, but instruments were playing as well; some kind of orchestra.

"So Samuel was right," Jowee breathed, panting a bit from all the running before, "Mayor Rose is one of them..."

Wilfre went to push the gates open, only to see a lock made of Shadow Goo on it. Glaring a bit, he drew his sword and sliced the lock away, afterwards opening the gate like his original intention. Meanwhile, the other three followed, seeing all of the corruption that lay inside. Whenever a Shadow creature attacked, they would defeat, noticing they all came from one place; inside Mayor Rose's mansion. On top of this, they all resembled distorted music notes.

"I remember hearing Mayor Rose sing a while back," Mari said as they ventured into the mansion, "She was going to pass her singing voice onto her son, Miles. But the Creator stopped her from doing so and gave it back to her. If Mayor Rose had given her voice away, she would've died and Miles would've became the new Mayor of Watersong..." Just looking around the halls of the mansion made her remember this and more from the past, and it made her frown a bit.

Jowee noticed this, putting a paw in her shoulder in comfort. "I remember when she couldn't speak at all..." he softly muttered.

Samuel really hoped Wilfre was ignoring what they were saying, as he knew already that he didn't seem to like it when the past was brought up. "Since the Shadow creatures attacking us thus far looked like music notes," he added to deteer the subject, beginning to put the hood over his head as if to protect himself better, "Then the corrupted Mayor Rose must be... A vocal fighter."

"I just hope she doesn't fly like..." Wilfre nodded to him, listening more to the vocalizing and following where it led. Afterwards he had no choice but to add, though more to himself, "Like me..."

The others continued to follow, destroying any of the Shadow creatures that came near them. It seemed that as they got closer to the originating spot, there were more Shadow creatures lurking about, ready to attack. The vocalizing and the orchestra was getting louder, almost too loud for them to bear. "I just can't believe Sly would corrupt Mayors like that," Mari added, "Thank goodness he kept his promise... Well, sort of."

"Promise?" Wilfre responded, looking around a corner before proceeding into another hall, "What do you mean by that, Mari?"

"Well..." Mari replied, following with the others, "You see, the last time Sly was at our village like last week was about three months ago. The deal was that I wouldn't join his empire... In exchange for the Book of Life. Though, dropping you off as, what he said, a 'temporary present' didn't make any sense back then. In fact, we had no idea what to expect if you were to wake up."

"And while he didn't make her join him like he promised," Samuel added, not wanting Mari to feel even worse in having to explain it, "He did other things to our village. When he thought that we weren't rebelling to join his side, he made that large crater that now surrounds it. He also started even having Raposa kidnapped who were out after dark and alone. Over time, we even started becoming wary of keeping you in the village, as you were still unconscious. A few actually began to believe that giving you back to Sly would make him leave us alone for good."

"When Dr. Cure was still around," Mari continued on, "She even had trouble trying to figure out why you were like this. After about a week of researching, she finally told us that it was no coma. It was a sleeping curse."

At those last words, Wilfre stopped dead in his tracks with widened eyes. He turned to face them warily. "A... Sleeping curse?"

"Yes," she replied once more with a nod, "But all she was able to tell us was that the curse itself only works within a specified time; and that it would be almost impossible to track when it started and when it will end. All we could do was wait..."

While they were talking, Jowee seemed to hear something else. At a nearby door, he put his ear to it, then gasped. "Guys! I hear someone crying in there!"

Everyone turned to Jowee as he pointed to the door, trying to open it but it was locked. Mari, Samuel and Wilfre did the same thing Jowee did just before, then their eyes widened in realization. Someone had been locked in there, possibly by the corrupted Mayor Rose.

"Rest assured, Master Miles," someone was saying from inside the door, "Someone will save us and your mother as well..."

_Miles... And even Mayor Rose's butler?_ Wilfre thought to himself, looking at the doorknob and as he suspected, saw a Shadow Gooed lock. He pressed the sword's sharp point against the hole in the knob, the Shadow Goo disappearing from contact. Afterwards, he stepped back, nodding for Jowee to open the door. Once he did, they were greeted with two Raposa in the room rushing outside of it.

"Goodness sake!" cried the butler, "We've been waiting AGES to be saved!"

"Mayor Mari!" Miles yelled out excitedly, then hugging Mari's legs a little in happiness, "Mayor Mari came to save us!"

"Ages?" Mari replied to the butler, before patting Miles softly on the head. "It's good to see you too, Miles. But... I'm afraid I'm not the one you should be thanking."

"Really?" Miles blinked in response, "Is my mother okay? Where is the Hero?"

Jowee chuckled lightly at Miles' questions. "Your mother will be fine soon, we're going to help her return to normal. And you should really thank Wilf-" he looked around to point at Wilfre, only to learn that he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" Mari gasped, looking around as well but finding no trace of the gray-furred Raposa. Samuel looked around a bit as well, before he sighed a little. After this, he put his paws protectively over his ears, preparing for the flurry of loud responses.

"Probably going off to cure Mayor Rose."


	9. 09 Rose is Red

Another chapter? Oh yeah, New Years Eve!

Well, from the answers I received, Jowee got the most votes. Mari on the other hand? Wow - But yes I completely understand why it would seem that way. Well, I'll only say that there'll be a very good reason. Oh yes... Good as in bad as in 'Sly is a heartless scumbag'.

Maybe I ought to ask a question every chapter; I really liked how you guys answered before. Let's see... I don't want to spoil too much about the next chapter, so I will only say another Raposa will be introduced in it. Who do you think it'll be, and what is he/she doing in Watersong?

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><p>09. Rose is Red<p>

Wilfre had been quick to move on his own while the others were talking to Miles and Mayor Rose's butler, though he didn't intend to do so with a bad reason. In actuality he wanted to save Rose on his own, to make up for what he had done to her in the past. She most of all would have the most reason to dislike, or even hate him for it. Taking her voice away in a Promise Conch like that, on top of cheating in the singing contest in general... He hurt with regret. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. He had a job to do here; no time to be distracted by memories that he'd rather not remember anyway.

Not only for forgiveness of the past, but he also simply wanted a little alone time to think about what he'd been told earlier. _Well, this certainly explains why I was asleep so long... _Wilfre thought to himself, _But from the explaination, I may never know how long I've been asleep exactly. More than three months, at least..._ He sighed a bit to himself, shaking his head slightly to return to the task at paw.

Even if the orchestra playing sounded normal and quite nice, the vocalizing somehow made Wilfre's stomach churn as he neared the originating point. Where it was the loudest were through a pair of double doors that also had a Shadow Goo lock. As he lifted his sword and broke the lock with a determined glare, he hoped that the others hadn't noticed him disappearing. He didn't want them to worry about him. _I can take care of myself,_ he thought with a hint of stubborness, _They have nothing to worry about..._

After the lock was removed, he used both paws to push on the double doors, causing them to fly open to reveal an auditorium. Seated in every row were Raposa, but all of them were covered in Shadow Goo. From the looks of things, all these Raposa were the ones living in the village or even visiting it. They had been cheering and whistling at the singer, who's vocalizing seemed to have them all in a trance.

They didn't even seem to notice him, far too busy in their amazement. On the stage was the Mayor herself, and just like Samuel had said, she too was covered in the goo. She spun and danced in midair, while her backup dancers were the distorted music notes from before. Just below the stage were more corrupted Raposa, playing the orchestra with lots of emotion put into each note. Wilfre brought his sword out again after surveying the scene, almost not wanting to stop the performance.

Wilfre paused, unable to even step forward. _Has her singing always been this amazing?_ he thought to himself, beginning to already lose grip on his sword before it fell with a clatter. This caused complete silence, every corrupted Raposa turning to face him. He admitably felt a bit dazed from the sudden stop of the sounds, before tensing up in surprise. Then, the audienced Raposa began to cackle at him, one even pulling him into the aisle by the arm. His eyes widened at this, instinctively trying to pull away but the grip on his arm was strong enough to hold even the most stubborn Baki.

Wilfre managed to grab his sword before it was out of reach, while the Shadow gooed Raposa continued to drag him into the aisle. The audience Raposa continued to cackle and even giggle at Wilfre, though he was anything but sure about why this was. In fact, it seemed to creep him out a little. The corrupted Rose turned to her orchestra, giving them a nod; which made them nod in return and start playing an entirely different song. This new song was more fast paced, more energetic; as if it was some kind of... Fight song. Wilfre's creeped out feeling was replaced by one of... Feeling like adrenaline was running in his veins. He didn't know why, but it somehow excited his body and then him as well.

The audience had suddenly let go of Wilfre and started cheering again, before listening intently to Rose as she began to vocalize once more.

_So her singing seems to put people under a spell,_ he resolved after a bit, _That's why I faltered back there; I was listening to it! Whatever I do... I can't let myself listen. Focus on freeing everyone..._

He made himself focus, rushing forward before climbing onto the stage, while Rose continued her vocalizing. She stared him right in the eyes with an annoyed glare.

_So YOU'RE the traitor,_ a voice filled Wilfre's head. _You, the one who dared to ruin my performance; the S.H.A.D.O.W. traitor!_ Wilfre almost wondered who it was, before realizing it was the corrupted Mayor, speaking to him in thoughts rather than directly. As much as he tried not to, he couldn't help but listen to her singing just a bit, but even then it was enough to make him begin to droop and listen more.

"Such an angelic voice," he whispered, his face beginning to soften with a relaxed smile, "And I was such a fool to not see it..." While this was happening, Rose snickered lightly, making some of the music note Shadow creatures surround him. After a little bit, Wilfre seemed to notice this, his eyes widening and shaking his head. He lifted his sword up high, slicing the blade through each and every one of the surrounding notes. He panted just a little after this, looking up at Rose again, seeing that she was fuming. She nodded to the orchestra, which made them begin to play louder than before.

It took almost all of Wilfre's willpower to not listen to the sounds going on, holding his sword at the ready. Though, he knew that he would need to do something unlike what he would normally do. Rose could float and fly around while she vocalized and danced; however Wilfre couldn't do the same, being only a normal Raposa. How was he going to free her if she was always in the air...? In Rose's rage, she continued to vocalize, louder than before. This caused some part of the stage ceiling to come apart, while an object rushed at Wilfre. Letting out a small gasp, he darted away from the object just in time before it could hit him.

Just afterward, he had to slice his sword against another note Shadow creature when Rose had summoned one to do so. He could hear the audience cheering for Rose, chanting her name over and over; however it only made him want to cure her all the more. _Come on Wilfre, THINK!_ he scolded at himself, his mind racing a mile a minute, _How can I get her to reach me?_ He darted away repeatedly as Rose threw down more objects to the ground, each taller than the other. Recognizing this, Wilfre started to climb these objects; each one feeling like boulders.

_Dispicable,_ Rose said to Wilfre as she saw him do this, meanwhile the audience continued to chant her name, _It's a shame Samuel nor I can persuade you without resorting to vulgar methods. Not only this, but you refuse to enjoy the melodies like everyone else in here!_

Wilfre tried to ignore all of this as he continued to climb. _If I stay like this at the top,_ he realized as he neared it, _She won't even think about coming to me unless I tempt her..._

"I don't think you're trying hard enough to convince me," he began, having to raise his voice over the music and vocalizing. "If you really prefer to change my mind without the use of 'vulgar' methods, maybe you should come closer..." He trailed off when he heard Rose vocally hiss in rage, which made the audience appear dazed and shocked from her vocalizing ending abruptly. They looked around in confusion, wondering where exactly they were and why they were here.

From on top of the highest object, Wilfre looked down at their confusion, hoping that it would rid them of their curse of possibly remaining in here forever. However it distracted him for too long as Rose suddenly lunged forward and slamming into him. He let out a yelp from that, falling backward and being forced to the ground and landing with a loud thud, while the corrupted Mayor had him pinned from above. He gritted his teeth from the landing, his back aching badly; possibly enough so that he couldn't find the strength to throw Rose off of him.

Around them, the Shadow Gooed Raposa in the audience were gasping at the sight; and one by one, the Shadows left them. Rose only seemed to focus on Wilfre however, glaring angerly into his eyes. Wilfre could only look into hers, her pure whites blinding him slightly. He began to shiver, not only her eyes giving him chills but also for how close the Shadow Goo was on him. Since waking up, he had wanted to be as far from the stuff as possible. Unaware of either of them, the freed Raposa in the audience fled the room to escape the corrupted Mayor.

"Get... Off of me," he managed to whisper out in a stutter. Rose began to cackle from the torment she was causing, not moving a muscle. In fact, she did the opposite; held him tighter in a hold. Wilfre's eyes widened and he began to squirm, not even able to get his arm out to swing his sword in defense. "I meant to get OFF of me...!"

_Who's the one not trying hard enough to convince now?_ Rose replied, grinning manically down at her prisoner. _Now, you'll have no choice but to listen to my song, to let my voice into your heart, and to fall under my spell; like everyone else! _While Wilfre continued to squirm in vain, she turned toward the orchestra before her face fell in shock. The corrupted Raposa who used the instruments were gone. Looking toward the rows of seats, she gasped, realizing that each seat was empty. The only sign of anyone ever being in there were scattered objects left on the ground of the aisles.

At this point, Rose seemed to become quite frail. Using this for his advantage, Wilfre managed to push her off of him, afterwards getting onto his back paws. The corrupted Rose didn't seem to notice him lifting his sword up high. "It's time to free you, Mayor Rose," he said simply, slicing her Shadow Gooed form deeply and right down the middle. This caused the Shadow controlling her to let out a wail of pain before disappearing, almost in a melting way. The freed Mayor fell onto her knees, taking in gasps of air while some of her locks of hair fell in front of her shoulders.

Wilfre noticed this, kneeling beside her and placing a paw on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked her, hoping he hadn't been too rough when he had sliced against the Shadow Goo. After another few deep breaths, she seemed to nod.

"Yes, I'm alright now," she said softly before rising to her back paws, ruffling down the wrinkles on her long gown; while Wilfre rose himself. "That thing had been suffocating me, using my voice like that... Wilfre." Turning to face him, she gave a small smile; one that showed forgiveness for the past. Wilfre seemed to relax at this with a smile of his own, sighing a bit and gazing around the now empty but also messy auditorium.

"What a mess," he couldn't help but say with a tiny chuckle. She simply nodded in agreement, before shrugging it off.

"It'll be better later... But for now, I think it's time to change this village back to normal."

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><p>"Ooh, that little...!" Mari yelled out in frustration as she and the others ran down the halls. "Who does he think he is, going off to free Mayor Rose on his own? When I get my paws on him, he'll be s-" She was cut short when a stampede of Raposa approached them and started going around them with yells and cries of fear.<p>

"Run for your lives!"

"Mayor Rose is corrupted!"

"She's about to corrupt some gray Raposa!"

"That gray Raposa is WILFRE!"

"Oh Rapo, WILFRE too?"

"That's even worse!"

Some of the Raposa who were freed stopped in their tracks, realizing that they were still clothed in their Raposa knight armor. So they drew out their spears, running off in the opposite direction. "Wilfre is STILL alive!" one exclaimed, "He must be responsible for Mayor Rose's condition! Arrest him immediately!"

Miles's eyes widened at what they had said. "W-Wilfre?" he said timidly, beginning to shake a little. "Wilfre and Mother are...?"

"That's impossible!" the butler exclaimed in disbelief, "Wilfre is DEAD, isn't he?"

"Hate to break it to you," Jowee sighed in reply. "But he's not dead. It's not what you think, though! He's on OUR side!"

"But WHY?" Miles replied, shuttering deeply, "He's a bad Raposa covered in that icky goo! He stole my mother's voice in a Promise Conch! How can he be on our side?"

As if he had asked the Creator, a singing voice interrupted whatever someone else was going to say. It seemed to come from the Balcony of the mansion, so the Raposa started to follow the voice, as well as the Raposa knights. As they ran onward, they noticed the music note Shadow creatures were sucked in toward the source as well, along with other forms of Shadow goo. The ground under their paws even began to shake, and after looking out some of the windows, were seeing that color was being restored to the village.

When they got closer to the source, the voice became louder and more Shadow creatures and goo were sucked in. With a final opera yell, they also heard loud slicing sounds, afterwards lots of Shadow creatures wailing and yelling. Then all was silent for a few minutes, other than sounds of paws padding against the floor and pants from the Raposa. They soon caught up to the Raposa knights, who had stopped and held their spears at the ready. "Drop the sword and put your paws in the air!" one yelled out. "You are under arrest with the charge of turning Mayor Rose into a Shadowed monster, as well as taking her voice away a few years back!"

"What?" Wilfre replied with a glare, though did what was asked of him. "I most certainly did not change her into that! The very opposite, actually!"

"He's not the enemy!" Mari yelled out to the knights, "He's not the one who did this to your village! He came to help!"

"Mayor Mari, we apologize for disagreeing," one of the knights replied, "But he's still wanted for the OTHER crimes he's committed in the past, as well."

"As for YOU," another continued, glaring at Wilfre, "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of-"

"Raposa knights," someone else cut in before the knight could finish, "At ease." All the Raposa stared in the direction where it came from; though Wilfre had to turn his head to see. Calmly walking down the hall, with her head held high and a soft but happy expression on her face, was Mayor Rose. She was back to her normal self, no longer covered in the Shadow goo.

"M-Mayor Rose!" the knights exclaimed, saluting to her before lowering their spears; which made Wilfre lower his arms with a small sigh. "But he's the Raposa who took your voice and locked it in a Promise Conch! Wasn't he the one who did this to our village, as well as taking away the color?"

The Mayor giggled a bit, stepping forward more until she was next to Wilfre. "He is also the same Raposa who just saved all of Watersong from what I became," she replied sternly. "He is not to be punished, or to be feared. I say what he did today more than makes up for what he did in the past. Release him." Though they were reluctant, the knights parted away from both of them, while Miles ran forward and embraced Rose.

"Mother...! You're okay...!" he cried out softly, while she held him closely as well.

"Yes, my dear Miles," she replied, a happy tear going down her cheek, "I'm okay now..."

As the knights left the scene to start on their normal duties, Mari and the others stepped forward, now more visible. Wilfre picked up his sword but was sure to hold it in a non-threatening way. Once Miles and Rose pulled back from the embrace, she faced them. "Thank you, all of you, for doing this for us," she said to them as Wilfre joined the others. "It must've taken a lot of courage to do what you did, and Watersong will be eternally grateful. In fact, why don't you stay for the night? Anything to repay you."

"That's very nice of you to offer," Mari replied, waving a paw a bit, "But you don't have to-"

"Don't be silly," Rose chuckled at this response, motioning for them to reconsider, "You all must be tired from your long journey over here; so it would be better if you stayed. If you please set up their rooms..." she turned to her butler when she said that last part, to which he nodded.

"Right away, Mayor Rose."


	10. 10 A Mother's Sacrifice

We have now made it to chapter 10! However, the story isn't even close to being finished so don't worry about it being almost over; though if you kinda hoped it would be almost done by now, sorry about that. The truth is there is so much more that is going to happen later on, so bear with me.

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and continue to review. Chapters pop up erratically due to either me having worked ahead and purposefully posting them at certain dates (like Christmas or New Years Eve), or just the fact it took me a bit to actually write them.

No one answered the question, but that's alright since you'll find how who it was. Maybe it was a bad question, I donno...

Oh, here's a fun question for you guys! Who would you like to see fight against Sly? (Pick from Mari, Jowee, Samuel, and the newly introduced character.)

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><p>10. A Mother's Sacrifice<p>

From her end of the dining table, Mayor Rose was surrounded by Raposa. Of course to her right was Miles, but beyond that and to her left sat the guests of honor. Contently she sat with her expression showing a soft smile. Miles, who ended up being sat across from Wilfre, was still a little wary of him; even after the turn of events that had occured earlier. Although Wilfre did find this a little bit annoying, he also understood the young Rapo's position; being unable to accept the change so easily. Had he still been the old Wilfre he once was, it all would've been a trick.

Since he was not (or at least was trying NOT to be), he was going to have to do all he could to convince young Miles. Though with such little time left to be in Watersong, he wasn't sure how he could do such a thing. He idly thought of this as he and the others ate their dinner, before it was cut off by Mayor Rose speaking up.

"Since you can't stay in Watersong for long," she began, somewhat casually, "Where are you four heading off to?" Everyone looked over at her, pausing in their meal for a few moments.

"Lavasteam," Mari ended up replying, afterwhich rolled her eyes a bit when Jowee's own lit up in happiness, "We're going around our known world, to free the Mayors from Sly's empire."

"So coooool..." Jowee murmured to himself in daydream.

"We believe that he'll be easier to defeat if those villages turn against him," Wilfre continued, trying not to laugh from Jowee's remark, "So since this village was closest, we started here."

Mayor Rose nodded in understanding, before replying. "'The four villages will once again become connected, after being freed by the gray-furred Raposa of the past'... Just like how the prophecy stated. After all this time, it's becoming fulfilled!"

"Really...?" Samuel rose an eyebrow, of course being noticed as he removed the hood again, "I was only told I would be saved by this gray-furred Raposa of the past... Maybe the Creator had to tell you more?"

_They could just call me by name now,_ Wilfre thought to himself in slight irritation, _It's not like my name is too difficult to pronounce..._

"Maybe," Mayor Rose agreed, thinking about it a little, "Or it might be different for each village, but somehow still having the same lead. But back then, I didn't understand why I was being told this; I heard the phrase not too long after..." she trailed off, as if she had trouble remembering something.

"After...?" Jowee replied, having snapped out of his daydream about Robosas, "After when?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mayor Rose chuckled a bit in embarrassment, "I'm not sure which memory is right. Before I was corrupted by Sly, it was soon after peace was brought back worldwide, with the Creator having the strongest link to us as was possible. But after being freed by Wilfre, it's an entirely different memory."

"A different memory...?" Samuel replied this time, starting to believe a connection was being made. "What was it?"

"There was a Raposa-looking creature named Mike, who was going to wake up from a coma," Mayor Rose began, piecing it all together, "He had the strangest ears anyone's ever seen. However, not just him ended up disappearing; a young, normal Raposa named Heather went with him. Everything went white after that and... The next thing I knew, I was suddenly at my desk, about to sign a paper for a new, reasonable law. And until now, the first memory was all I could remember."

"Again with 'Mike and Heather'..." Mari sighed a bit, scratching the back of her head a little in confusion, "First Wilfre, then Samuel, and now Mayor Rose? Why can you guys remember them while Jowee and I can't?"

"I wonder that myself," Samuel crossed his arms a bit in his robe, "Though it was the same case with me. Before being corrupted, I had that same first memory as what seemed to have happened. But after being freed, those two ended up becoming the real reason for the color being taken away. The only difference was that when everything went white, I suddenly found myself meditating in the forest."

"Mother..." Miles piped up, in as much confusion as Mari and Jowee, "Who were they?"

Mayor Rose blinked in a small amount of shock from the responses that were given to her. "It's as if only those who became corrupted by Sly's empire start to remember them... Everyone else is completely oblivious."

"Hmm..." Jowee replied, putting a paw to his chin in thought. "Actually... Mayor Rose? Mind if I ask a question?"

When she nodded with a smile, Jowee continued on to ask, "How did you get corrupted?"

She had a more sad smile on her face now, not wanting to feel too depressed. "Well, you see..."

_"Why... Why did you have to go outside?" Mayor Rose sobbed, collasping on her knees, "If only I knew this was going to happen...! It's all my fault...!" She was looking over Miles's now lifeless body, crying loudly from the bottom of her heart. Her eyes were red from the many tears she had shed already, but much more poured out. She brought his body close to her, holding him in an embrace in her lap. He was already becoming cold, a trail of blood leaking out of his mouth and his own face twisted in horror and fear. The rest of him was in shambles; wounds littering his body and clothes._

_"It's not your fault he went outside," a voice said, though it was pretty awful sounding. It made Rose gasp, looking upward, seeing a new person padding forward to them. "It's only bad luck he got caught up in the crossfire."_

_Rose glared at the Shadow Gooed person with a growl of rage. "WILFRE! How dare you show your face here! Don't you know what the Rapo you have DONE?" Wilfre only chuckled manically, paying no mind to the words before waving a paw in her face._

_"Tsk, tsk..." he replied after a bit, "I am not Wilfre, but it's nice to know I can imitate him well. Rather, my name is Sly Hazard And Design Of Wilfre, also known as S.H.A.D.O.W. But I prefer being called Sly."_

_"Don't you DARE pretend to be someone else!" Rose screamed in rage, holding her dead child closer to her. "If you are who you REALLY are, why are you even here, destroying my village?"_

_"Well," Sly scoffed a bit, padding a bit closer to them, "I came here to convert this village for my new empire. But now I see a way to benefit both of us. Mayor Rose-" he paused here to grin widely, "Would you like your son back?"_

_"W-What kind of question is that?" she noticably quivered from the expression he was showing, but nodded at last. "Yes, of course I would! I'd give ANYTHING to see him smile again...! To tell him how much I love him..."_

_"Anything...?" Sly pretended to think about that, putting a paw on his chin, "Oh my... You must love him that much, huh? Well, I'll tell you what I'll do... I'll be more than happy to bring him back to life; however, I'll need a bit of your energy to make it work. But in return, Mayor Rose..." he paused again, this time not responding until Rose replied herself._

_"In return...?"_

_"In return," he echoed, his smile becoming a glare, "You have to join my empire and become a faithful minion." At this, Rose's eyes widened with a gasp, before having to think it over. Looking down at Miles's still, cold body, more tears sprang to her eyes. More than anything, she wanted her son to live on... But did she really want him to live so much that he'd end up in a twisted world? Wait, no..._

_"If I say yes," she finally responded, but not looking up at him, "May I have my own request?" Sly thought over this, but nodded for her to continue. "Have him and my butler locked in a safe room, reviving him first and then converting me somewhere that's far from them... That way, he... He won't have to see the monster I'll become."_

_Sly nodded again, not minding the request at all. "That'll be easy, Mayor Rose." She was silent for a while, before looking him in the eyes._

_"I accept."_

Miles's eyes were wide from the story. "So that's why you... You... And I was..."

Mayor Rose nodded a little, putting a paw over Miles's. "Yes, that's why it happened... But believing that it wasn't to be forever, made it all the more worth seeing you alive and well..."

The story had made the other Raposa in the room silent, though Wilfre didn't seem too shocked. He was a little, but the method used wasn't anything new to him. The use of manipulation and offerings had been used on other Raposa in the past. Though back then when Sly wasn't really Sly but more of a Shadow Gooed cover, Wilfre's own methods of this were far less drastic. Thinking more about it, he came to a realization that Sly didn't seem to care about how far he would go for power. If he had no other choice, he would either make them join by force (like he had a week ago toward Wilfre), or simply kill them off...

He shuddered when he thought about that. KILLING them? Would that shadowed monster stoop THAT low? Well, when Samuel was corrupted, Sly didn't seem to lift a paw in complaint when that Raposa got eaten alive just for showing his differing opinion... Also, the reason Mayor Rose even agreed to join him was because her son was 'conveniently' killed in the crossfire... Ah Rapo, who knew what other things the sick, twisted creature could do?

...Samuel probably knew. However, Wilfre decided it was best to not know, or risk losing his appetite and possibly his stomach. Instead, he decided to continue eating while he still had said appetite, while the others continued their discussion. It seemed like a little while that he drowned out the conversation, until Mayor Rose had spoken up. She was saying something that awakened his interest once more, so he perked his ears up to listen.

"Since you're going to leave to Lavasteam, I should warn you about something important..." she paused here a little, making sure everyone was listening. "Now... Here, everyone who lived and was visiting were all in one room. But at Lavasteam, it's much different. Everyone there is as corrupted as Mayor Miney himself. I don't know if his brothers are the same, but they might be as well. Just..." While she went on to explain, another Raposa had snuck into the room, quickly getting underneath the table. He was gray-furred, but had a little mask over his eyes, as if to hide his real identity. What he wore was dark in color to suit the night; and it matched his little mask.

Once he was safely under the table, he began to crawl carefully and quietly, while hauling a large sack full of valuables. He could hear the conversation going on, understanding the voices of Mari, Jowee, Mayor Rose, Miles, Samuel, and... Well, he didn't know who was the last one, but he knew that it was oddly familiar somehow. He shrugged, continuing on with his task.

It didn't take this person long before he was right underneath the Raposa at the table. At this point, he hoped that he wouldn't be heard over the sounds of their voices. Putting a paw over his stomach, he remembered just how hungry he was, thinking about how long it must've been since the last time he'd eaten. _Hm,_ he thought a bit to himself, slowly grinning, _If I do this right, I could sneak some food as well! Those chattering Raposa will never notice!_

Nudging himself a bit to the left side of the table, he began to look upwards at the Raposa sitting there. Hey, this fellow was gray-furred as well! How odd... He continued with his inner monologue as he saw his chance to lift his paw toward the table. _Because I, Zsasha, strive to be a master thief; filled with a desire to steal and a need for collecting valuables!_ The self-proclaimed 'Zsasha' grinned wider from the monologue, lifting his paw higher, now onto the table, before quickly snatching away a piece of food. Hopefully, no one had noticed.

Zsasha sat in the middle again, content with his capture and starting to eat the piece of food; though he had to stifle any noise of enjoyment. He had to be sneaky and silent, otherwise what was the point of calling him a thief if he couldn't get away? While doing so, he continued to easedrop on the Raposas' conversation; something about Lavasteam being completely overrun by this nasty guy named Sly and his evil gooey empire of doom. Or something, Zsasha only half focused on it.

It wasn't long until he had run out of the food he had caught, now needing to fish for more. Once again he brought his paw upward to snatch something from the table, preferably the same spot as before, before striking completely. When he reached to pull back once his paw secured over another good morsel, he was surprised to find that his arm was now suddenly shackled by another Raposa's paw. He let out an "Eeep!" as he was tugged out from under the table by the mysterious gray-furred Raposa.

"Look what we have here," he simply said, which made Zsasha freeze up, knowing he was caught. He let out a nervous chuckle as he quickly scanned the faces of each Raposa. Most were surprised, Miles just laughed a little, but as for one of them...

"Z-ZSASHA?" Mari exclaimed, her face in shock. Well, on one paw she was glad Zsasha was alive and not corrupted, but on the other she knew he was a thief... Even if he had said before he would change, he obviously had not. "What... What're you doing in WATERSONG?"

"Why," Mayor Rose however was chuckling lightly, "He's been living here for a while now, even a little while before Sly came here. He was trying to take one of our vases and the knights were quick to catch him. But I let him stay in the mansion after learning he didn't have anywhere to go home to, so... It was under the condition that he stopped trying to steal things. I suppose however that habits are hard to break!" She waved a paw at the mysteriously gray-furred Raposa to set Zsasha down; and so he did, while he darted under the table and came back out with his sack of treasures he had found.

"Well, I..." he tried feebily to explain, already ashamed at himself for being caught in the first place, "Okay, yes it is hard... But I did try ways to break my habit."

"Before this Sly person came around," Miles smiled, remembering some fun times he had with Zsasha, "Zsasha was like a big brother to me. We would spend our time on treasure hunts and play a game called 'Cops and Robbers'-"

"Even when our family heirlooms were taken and moved around..." Mayor Rose rolled her eyes with a soft sigh. "It's crazy what they came up with..."

_Well..._ Mari thought, nodding in the conversation once it sprung back to life, _At least he's TRYING to change. However, I'm not sure if he should come with us, though. He might decide to steal what little things WE have... Oh Rapo, what should I do...?_

After briefly looking around the table again, she could see she wasn't the only one thinking this...


	11. 11 Storm of Memories

Passing chapter 10, I'm hoping to get to chapter 20. That would be impressive to me.

Counting the votes (believe me, I had trouble counting them) I finally came to this conclusion:

Mari: Higher than anyone else.  
>Jowee: 1<br>Samuel: 0  
>Zsasha: 0<br>Mayor Rose?: 1

While I see there are a lot of Mari fans... I think you'll be surprised when you see each character have their shot at having a fight scene. Some will come sooner than others, though. Not necessarily just against Sly, as well. All the while, the only other thing I'll say is that they have different fighting styles, yes.

Today's question actually concerns Zsasha. In your opinion, should he be trusted? Sneaky Raposa...

* * *

><p>11. Storm of Memories<p>

_"Create a place through shapes and shades. Build a blinding stage where beauty is made. But when your colors fade... Everything will change."_

_A soft breeze shook the branches of the tree, as well as the leaves in them. It was a lone tree on a small hill, with vibrant green grass surrounding it all. Near the trunk of the tree sat a creature, who was twice the height of any Raposa. This creature in fact didn't have the long Raposa ears, but small, odd-shaped ones. His spiky, blonde hair shook along with the branches of the tree from the wind, while he simply was grinning ear to ear._

_"I'm trying hard to imagine better," he sang quietly to himself, rather joyfully, "Daydream him, I'll wait forever and pray that our paths blur... Together." After this, he looked at his right wrist as if to check a watch's time, only to see there wasn't one. Blinking, he chuckled as he pulled out the drawing tool he'd been entrusted with, drawing on a watch that almost immediately set itself to the correct time._

_"It might not be true, but it's the best I can do," he continued to sing afterward, tapping his gray shoes over the grass repeatedly, "It's only to keep a little piece of you. I can't keep it inside; I'll have to shout it out loud, all of the things I couldn't live without!"_

_From the other side of the hill and tree, a Raposa padded over the grass, not taking long before he scaled the small hill and was now behind the tree. Peeking from his spot, he could hear the strange creature singing this song. Somehow it seemed very familiar, but he couldn't put his paw on it. Come to think of it, the creature himself seemed familiar as well. That hair, those clothes, the voice. Oh, now he remembered..._

_"And I'm pouring my heart, and I'm sealing my soul," the strange-looking creature kept on with the song, "And I'm taking a breath; and he's giving his all. And I want to walk out from the trouble I'm in; because I'm really not sure where to begin." Though, from the singing he hadn't heard or noticed the Raposa behind the tree, which made said Raposa unsure of approaching or making a noise. Especially knowing from past experience._

_"And to fake it, it will make it better; better than it was before," the creature sang more of the song, checking the watch again before smiling more in glee, "Lies could bring us close together; so I won't be lonely no more. Pretending it doesn't matter could help me pass the time; make believe he'll hide forever... This is real life!" The Raposa took a deep breath, steeling himself for what may happen when he got the creature's attention, before padding forward more. To his surprise (and almost terror), the creature immediately turned to face him, still beaming in joy._

_"Hey Wilfre!" he greeted him soon afterwards with a friendly wave, scooting over a little to allow the Raposa a spot next to him, "Right on time!"_

_"Err, hello," Wilfre responded dumbly, not really knowing what to say to the creature. Instead, he padded forward more before sitting down where the creature once sat. "On time for what...?"_

_"To talk of course!" the creature chuckled, putting Wilfre into a headlock and noogieing him playfully. Almost immediately Wilfre's heart began to race as he let out a gasp of fright, struggling in the hold he was put into. The creature blinked from this, relenting on the noogie but now simply petting his head instead. "Come on now... I'm not gonna hurt you or anything."_

_Wilfre continued to squirm, though not as much now. Yet even from his complete fear, he put on an irritated face. "Says the mannequin who kicked my Rapo posterior on more than one occasion..." _

_"Oh Wilfre..." the mannequin sighed with a small eyeroll, "You of all people should know why I had to do that. You did some pretty bad things in the past, you know that, right?" When Wilfre didn't respond, he studied the Raposa's face. Wilfre had an expression that was a cross between guilt, shame, unease, and of course, regret. The creature frowned with empathy from simply seeing the sudden change._

_Finally, Wilfre seemed to notice he may've opened up too much and glared a bit. "And you think I don't know that, Sparky?" he growled, though it was a soft one at that, "You don't have to rub it in my face..."_

_Sparky blinked from his tone, but sighed quietly and pulled away entirely, beaming once again afterward. "Don't worry," he said with a small shrug, "I'm not going to lecture you. I mean, what's done is done. All we can do now is to keep going."_

_"'We'?" Wilfre scoffed a little, crossing his arms in disbelief, "You're dead. In fact, I don't even know how I'm speaking to you at all. Or for that matter, where I am." Sparky let out a laugh at his response, not being offended with the remark at all. However, he realized that of course Wilfre wouldn't understand this place immediately; nor was it going to be easy to explain the reason they were even communicating. On any other circumstance, Sparky remembered that Wilfre would act quite unfriendly toward him, growling at him to 'go fall into the Wishing Well so others could see what pops out'. He could go right along and think of the many other times a similar insult would ensue, only for Sparky to shrug it off with a belief he held dearly in his hypothetical heart._

_However, Sparky chose not to remember, knowing that the event of them being able to talk like civil beings (at least, in the case of Wilfre being somewhat civil around the Creation Hero for once) was very limited in time, so he pushed it aside._

_"What do you mean 'I'm dead'?" he replied at last, "What, like I was erased or something? I never left, Wilfre... I just, you know, don't move or say much anymore." Wilfre didn't respond, and Sparky guessed it was either because Wilfre didn't believe or that he simply didn't know what to say. After a little bit, he lay back on the grass, looking up into the sky. Wilfre watched him do this, only hugging onto his knees. By this time, his initial agression against Sparky was fading quickly, though he was unsure why. Maybe, just maybe, he was right..._

_"Wilfre..." Sparky said at first, only continuing on when he saw him turn his head to look at him, "I think it's a good thing you're learning to get along with them. They're all good people... And from all I saw so far, they're getting to know the real you. I think that eventually, whatever HE made you feel will fade into what YOU would-"_

_"How do you KNOW about THAT?" Wilfre couldn't help but snap, having wide eyes as he tensed up. He began to shiver, wondering for a moment if anyone else knew about it, before he nearly jumped when Sparky laughed again._

_"I might be a wooden mannequin," he said through his laughter, "But I think I have enough brains to realize it on my own. The moment we met, I had a feeling; and after hearing about why, the feeling became truth. Seeing you over and over... Well, I eventually had a naive belief. Thinking about it now, it's just silly..."_

_Wilfre relaxed from the explaination, thankful that no one had directly told Sparky but at the same time now confused from his 'naive belief'. "And what was this belief, Sparky?"_

_"My belief was..." Sparky began as he sat upright, "I thought I could free you by defeating the darkness. However, the sad truth was that it was never really defeated. It would live on; easily ressurecting you, its precious host. And, as the Creator put it, 'A newly formed cycle is reset to the beginning...'"_

_Listening to every word, Wilfre blinked and put a paw to his chin in thought. "A newly formed cycle is reset to the beginning," he repeated to himself, thinking it over before he realized how that makes sense. "You were sent to defeat me more than once, and yet the darkness I created still exists. Actually," Wilfre paused to look at Sparky again, "We believe to know why this is, Sparky. I don't know if you've figured it out for yourself as well, but..."_

_"'Not even a Hero can destroy what he did not create', right?" Sparky quoted and Wilfre nodded, "Well... Then wouldn't that imply that my existance was kind of pointless?" He trailed off here, but not taking it too seriously however as he was glad to have existed in the first place._

_"If you want to be blunt, I guess so..." Wilfre replied, though wasn't too keen on agreeing. "But maybe... You did have a point, though; even when it seemed like you shouldn't have. After all, back then I blindly followed Sly because he said we would make a better world for everyone by dominating it. In the same way as you are a child to the Creator, Sly was a child of mine... Little did I know, he was somehow able to manipulate how I thought about things to his favor..."_

_"So if it wasn't for me... You'd still be lost in his control..." Was all Sparky could answer at first, letting that sink in before he grinned. Not from the fact of what he was told, but because he knew he had a purpose all along. Meanwhile Wilfre simply nodded in response, before sinking into his own thoughts. Finally, he started again. "Wilfre, you what to know what I think? About how come... Sly and I exist the way we do?"_

_Wilfre looked to Sparky again, now a little curious himself. "Very well,"_

_"Wishes," Sparky replied with a wider grin, "I know that while the Creator was drawing me to life, she was wishing for someone strong enough to combat the darkness and to save the Raposa. What about you? What were you wishing for when you drew in the Book of Life?"_

_Wilfre was thinking about the theory a little but jumped from the question. It was quite the personal one; one he didn't really want to answer. Or at least, truthfully. "Um..." he began, looking away and beginning to stammer, "You know... Like, um... Being famous... Having lots of friends..."_

_Sparky rose an eyebrow, reaching out his arm and tugging on one of Wilfre's ears a little. "Okay, now tell me your REAL wish. I KNOW that doesn't match up with what Sly is trying to do." Wilfre flinched from his ear being lightly tugged, his face becoming a bit more embarrassed both from the fact he was going to have to be truthful, as well as how bad the lie itself had been._

_"Alright, fine...!" Wilfre admitted, sighing before continuing, though quietly now, "I was wishing for a world where Raposa were independant, drawing whatever they needed for themselves in the Book of Life. Being self-reliant as well as self-suffciant; things like crime would dim to almost impossible, things like natural disasters would be easily stopable, and things like famine and disease would cease to exist... In short, a world without need of a Creator."_

_This time, the mannequin let go of Wilfre's ear, pleased by his answer. "Now THAT makes more sense," he chuckled in his reply, "Because if you had it your way, that wish would've come true as much as the Creator's did when she drew me. But since you didn't... I think that wish tainted into a curse." Wilfre relaxed with a quiet sigh from his ear being released, now thinking about what he had said._

_"Everything that was drawn had to do with a wish," Wilfre replied, realizing just how much truth there was to the theory, "But if it's not by the Creator's hand that the wish is materialized... It becomes a curse. And since you're the Creator's child, it only makes sense that you're allowed to make your wishes come true the way you plan them."_

_"Well..." Sparky replied modestly, "Only to a certain extent. They have to be small, specific. If it's too complex, it doesn't even become real or work the way it should. Like... I could make clouds, but not the whole sky. I could make a watch, but not how time works. Speaking of watches..." he trailed off here, looking at the wristwatch he drew, before frowning sadly._

_"What's wrong?" Wilfre asked, before immediately noticing it was probably the first time he had ever asked Sparky, of all people, this question._

_"I have to go..." Sparky sighed, getting onto his feet; of which Wilfre quickly followed. "Sorry; I was having fun talking to you, but I can't stay much longer."_

_Around the two, the wind had stopped; as well as the tree slowly disappearing into white nothingness. "What...?" Wilfre couldn't help but call out in panic, "Why do you have to leave? We weren't even here for very long!"_

_"It may not seem very long to you Wilfre," Sparky answered, turning to him and putting his wooden hands into Wilfre's paws, "But it's really already been hours. This dream is over... You have to wake up soon." As he had said this, the grass on the hill slowly grew in reverse before only soil remained. Afterward, the hill itself seemed to start to disappear into white, in a outer circular pattern. Seeing this, Wilfre stiffened, before only able to fearfully grip Sparky's hands with his paws and staring up into his eyes._

_"So this was a dream..." he breathed, a bit in defeat, "So does this mean we'll never see each other again?"_

_The mannequin grinned softly, letting one of Wilfre's paws go to pet his head a little. "So you don't hate me anymore, huh..." he said quietly, more to himself before speaking directly to Wilfre, "Don't worry, you'll see me again. Soon, actually!"_

_"When?" he replied, feeling so stressed but also now strangely relaxed from the petting. "How soon...?"_

_Sparky let out a small laugh as the hill disappeared entirely, as well as his own self. "Sorry Wilfre," was his echoing reply, "But that's a secret!"_

For once, Wilfre's eyes didn't shoot open, but gradually opened. Rubbing them a little with his paws, he came to find that a string of music had awoken him. Either that, or if his dream was true at the end, it triggered his awakening. Slowly sitting up in the bed he slept in, he unleashed a deep stretch followed by a good yawn. After a bit of thinking, he finally shook his head to clear the dream from his mind. He seemed to be having a lot of... Rather eventful dreams lately. Though, one of them was more like a memory than a dream. This one seemed to incude the Hero (Or Sparky as he recalled calling him), saying some things...

From the window in the guest room he was put into, he could see a truly pleasent sight; something so refreshing compared to what he was made to see before now. Wilfre got out of bed, being sure to make it properly (he however briefly wondered why; before settling it with the fact he was a guest and shouldn't be rude or careless) before looking out the window entirely.

The sky was bright and sunny, full of color and quite peaceful; complete with native Watersong Raposa wandering about. From this peaceful scene, Wilfre couldn't help but smile from memories that were far before what he had done; days where he was a young Rapo and the biggest worry he had in life was forgetting table manners or being caught throwing rocks into the well. Thinking about it more, he remembered how he once had a phase where he strived to be, ironically, an artist. No other villager had the talent quite like his; even at six years old. Though due to an odd phenomenon where along with fur he grew hair (and actually liked it being long), the Rapo kids teased him more than respected his skills...

Wilfre rested his arms on the sill, looking out the window even more carefully now and letting the memories go. Afterwards, he seemed to notice a bunch of Raposa civilians heading down the street. Though from inside the mansion it was a bit hard to see, a few Raposa knights were carrying what looked like... Two coffins. Wilfre immediately frowned from this, realizing something must've happened to those two Raposa that were now dead. Even if he didn't want to, his mind flashed back to when the Church of Shadow still existed; where the Raposa who bravely stood up to the then corrupted Samuel was eaten alive by the Shadowed serpant. Putting a paw over his lips, Wilfre realized that one of the coffins had to be for that Raposa, and maybe another from the past.

Even to this very day, the images still sickened him to the core.

Wilfre quickly looked away from the window, instead busying himself in getting dressed. Afterward, he looked into the mirror at the dresser, realizing for the first time since he awoke that he never really found time to brush through his hair. At his mirror reflection he let out a nervous, almost embarrassed chuckle before opening one the the drawers and pulling out a hairbrush. Using his other paw, he guided the hair tie out of his hair, and couldn't help but grin a bit when he felt the hair loosen and cascade past his shoulders. Of course since most of the length had been carelessly chopped off in trying to get away from Sly, it was still long enough to go past his shoulders, but now not even to his shoulder blades.

_It'll grow back sooner than you think, _he recalled saying to Mari, _Besides... I think it needed a trim._ From that memory, he grinned a bit more, beginning to use his brush to comb through his hair; though even if he cringed just a little at each tangle, they easily came out and it somehow still felt nice to be doing this after so long. Not combing Shadow Goo, but actual hair. As he brushed, he couldn't help but softly sing some part of a song he could swear he heard before, though he didn't know how or why.

"Paint your world full of tones. Write the story so you know how it goes. But my heart's alone; until he comes home..."

Once he finished, he couldn't help but sigh in content, putting the brush down to put the hair tie back into his hair. He kind of longed to keep his hair down, but the teasing throughout his early life made him feel... Scared. Quickly he put his hair into a ponytail before proceeding to pull out any hair from the brush to throw into the wastebasket. Though after running a paw through the now ponytailed hair, he couldn't help but grin from the feeling of how smooth it felt now.

_Oh Rapo I feel so girly... I'm certainly glad no one saw me just now or else I'd probably die of embarrassment._

Later on in the day found Wilfre, Mari, Jowee, Samuel, Miles and even Mayor Rose herself attending the memorial for the two deceased Raposa. Even if they probably didn't know the deceased Raposa in question, they had figured it'd be better if they attended before heading off to Lavasteam. Miles was a little sad not only for the losses, but also the fact Zsasha wasn't anywhere to be found. This didn't seem to surprise them, as they seemed to already know how sneaky he tended to be.

Looking around, Wilfre noticed that seated in the front row of the left coffin was a Raposa couple, young in age. He quickly figured that the Raposa being mourned was most likely a child Rapo of theirs. On the other side sat only a female Raposa, who held tenderly in her arms what appeared to be a recently-born Rapo with gray fur. Maybe a husband was being mourned, he figured; but he couldn't be sure.

It didn't take long before the memorial began, with an older-looking Raposa leading the events. It was only until now when two pictures in frames were put on top of the coffins. The left picture portrayed a young, ginger-furred Raposa who wore a giant sock on his head; while the right one had an adult, gray-furred Raposa who seemed to be posing in costume, most likely for some kind of play or opera.

"We are gathered here today to mourn two Raposa who have left us before their time," the older Raposa began, though his voice seemed sad, "One is a youngin' who got seprarated from his parents and wasn't ever seen again, named Sock. The other was a grown Raposa who was quite famous for his appearences in opera but also disappeared without a trace, named Salem..."

From seeing the pictures and hearing those words, each of the Raposa Wilfre knew were in shock, as well as himself. Mari was in disbelief, Samuel seemed to tense slightly, Miles was in shock and Mayor Rose looked away as she began to tremble. However Jowee's reaction was even worse from all of the others in combination. He seemed to have a face of complete dispair, his paws covering his lips, as tears were springing into his eyes while his ears drooped.

"I thought you knew," Wilfre whispered but hoped they would hear, "They were real Raposa all along..."


	12. 12 This Budding Unrest

Remember in Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter, how Jowee pretty much went through hell as Mari joined Wilfre and his new friend Sock ended up BEING Wilfre? Well uh. Multiply that pain times eleven and this is what you get. Then add up a few years of believing the latter was true but then finding out it was not and you get... Let's just say that Sobari is right in saying Jowee doesn't think with his head. JOWEE SMASH.

Thank you for reviewing so kindly, and it was good to know Zsasha is trustable. Also, I have no intention of eliminating Salem and Sock from the picture whatsoever - I like them a lot too.

Wuh oh, looks like stuff is about to go down. Do you guys think Wilfre stands a chance? (Reading before answering is suggested)

* * *

><p>12. This Budding Unrest<p>

In summary, the memorial had passed without much other distraction, and it wasn't long before it was over and done with. When it was, the Raposa had noticed Jowee's odd change in behavior; he hadn't said a word and actually seemed pretty blank in expression. Mari believed it had something to do with Sock, Samuel didn't seem to know anything, and neither did Mayor Rose or Miles. Those two in particular were more surprised about Salem being real as well, but didn't take long to return relatively to normal; even if they knew that in the past, Salem had been the main, villainous disguise used by Wilfre.

Eventually, it was time to say farewell to Watersong.

"We hope to see you again soon," Mayor Rose had said softly with a smile. "It's such a shame Zsasha isn't here; we don't know if he was going to go with you or not... Though, if he does turn up here, we'll be sure to tell him you said farewell." Meanwhile Mari was a bit relieved to hear this, as she still wasn't sure if she liked the idea of the exthief running amok. To her, something about him just seemed pretty fishy.

Miles was more than eager to hug Mari goodbye, but hesitated on anything toward Wilfre at first. Though after being assured it was alright by Mari, he finally came up and hugged Wilfre. Wilfre had tensed in a bit of shock from the sudden affection, almost not knowing what to think before resting a paw on the young Rapo's head with a soft smile. As for Samuel, he seemed like he wanted to just sneak onto Turtlerock and go already; but Mari kept him from going anywhere, even if he tried to explain how he disliked being on beaches.

Jowee however seemed to be completely lost in his thoughts until Mari had prompted him. He wasn't as blank as before, but still seemed pretty distracted. His farewell was a bit curt, maybe even a bit distant. Even if the others figured it was due to the memorial earlier, they were still a bit surprised by how out of character he seemed to become. Especially that afterwards, he took off to Turtlerock without another word. Even Mari was a little lost by this change in him; she knew that even if Jowee was troubled by something, he'd never dare show it. Samuel had looked at Mari with a teasing expression.

"So you'd let HIM go but not me?"

Mari sighed a bit, apologizing Jowee's behavior to the Raposa saying their farewells, before her, Samuel and Wilfre boarded Turtlerock, and departed. The moment they were away from the beach, Samuel seemed to already be in a brighter mood. However, the fact that Samuel disliked beaches confused Wilfre a little, so Mari took it upon herself to explain as well as she could; even if she herself didn't know the full story. Something about seeing a strange swimming Baki when he was a tiny Rapo.

Jowee had busied himself with resetting the course for Lavasteam. The strangest thing the Raposa had noticed about this was that he didn't seem to have the enthusiasm he once had in the beginning. Something about that memorial had really set him off to the point where even going to where he wanted to go in the first place didn't matter anymore, if at all. Knowing him for nearly her whole life, Mari was puzzled completely, and she didn't know how she could help him feel better.

At last, she decided along with the others to just let him have time to recover on his own.

* * *

><p><em>How could he LIE about this?<em> Jowee thought to himself, looking to see Wilfre from across Turtlerock and glaring daggers at him. _It was one thing to disguise as them... But another to lie about how they weren't real? That's an entirely different story! Sock especially... _Wilfre was talking to Samuel about something, while Jowee was peeking from inside one of the houses. The sun had just set, night slowly settling in.

"Even if Mayor Rose is correct about how Lavasteam is," Samuel was saying, "We shouldn't let our guards down for anything. We have no idea what to expect when we get there."

Wilfre nodded in reply. "Anyone we meet there could be corrupted..."

Jowee let out a huff and turned away, rage continuing to build in his body. It was much more than he'd ever felt in his life; even more so that the events in the past. _How can we even trust him knowing that Sock and Salem were real and now... They're GONE? _He thought this to himself, running his paws over his acorn shooters and gripping the handles. _THEY may not have known him as long as I have, but... But... _

He shook his head a little. Mari and the others weren't sharing his feelings about this, which puzzled him highly. After a bit of thinking, Jowee found that maybe he was overreacting; but soon afterwards his rage pushed the thought roughly away. No; he had every right to be angry at Wilfre. After all, HE was the one who posed as an innocent young Rapo and then later decided he wasn't even real to begin with.

Another thought came to his mind with more thinking. Mari... Even she, who knew about the trouble with Salem, didn't seem to feel what he was at all. She even had teamed up with Wilfre in the past... Ah Rapo, that's right. She probably already knew about the disguised Raposa being... Real. Yet, she wasn't reacting how he was...

Wilfre had finished talking to Samuel by now, heading off to... Not the Map room, but Turtlerock's own little Creation Hall. Jowee watched with a raised eyebrow, curiousity starting to swell inside of him as he saw Wilfre pad to the building. Now of course the Book of Life wasn't in there, that much anyone knew, so why would Wilfre want to go in there? His suspicions taking over him, he left the house he was in, following Wilfre but hoped he wouldn't be seen doing so. Once he got there, he peeked into Creation Hall, finding Wilfre shocked about something inside the room.

Or, in this case, WASN'T there.

Jowee was almost ran over by a hurrying Wilfre as he was trying to rush out of the Creation Hall. Quickly noticing this, Wilfre seemed a bit shocked and said, though in a stressed manner, "I apologize Jowee... I guess I didn't see you there." After a little longer, he realized he could try to see the root of Jowee's issue. "Are you alright? You hadn't said a word almost all day now."

Jowee had managed to get out of the way in time, though he would've liked to sock him in the face either way. "What were you doing in there?" he quickly prompted, crossing his arms instead.

Wilfre blinked from the response he got, and in the tone he had said it. It seemed obvious that Jowee apparently didn't want to talk about his problem just yet. "Well, I was..." he paused, seeing how seriously Jowee had meant the question, "I was just checking for something. Due to a dream I had last night..." Afterwards, he started to pad away in order to leave Jowee be, only to be roughly pulled back when Jowee grabbed onto his ponytail. This made him let out a yelp and he turned sharply to face Jowee again, now not only confused but also a little offended. "What in the name of the Creator was THAT for?"

"Well, Prettyboy," Jowee huffed, then smirking when he saw Wilfre glaring at him, "It sounds like the biggest pile of Baki dung I've ever heard. You think that after what you did in the past with Sock, followed by just NOW learning about how they were REAL and DEAD, I would just be like 'Oh that's okay! It's not like I knew them or anything'?"

So that was why Jowee was so miffed. Wilfre briefly thought of himself as an idiot for not seeing it sooner. "Actually, I admit that wasn't the best thing to say," he replied, trying to ignore what Jowee called him, "But mostly I figured you already KNEW about it. Honestly, the Hero never told you what happened after he defeated me; how they both tried to escape before being swallowed up in the darkness again? That wasn't enough of a CLUE?"

"If they were REAL the entire time," Jowee retorted, more angrily now, "Why did you have to be all 'You idiots! There was never a Sock!', then? Why go around LYING about that in the first Rapo place? And then saying NOTHING about it until just today?" At this point, Jowee's paws were clenched in his rage, almost a hair away from outright tackling Wilfre to the ground. But he held back, trying to overcome the deep urge beginning to take root inside of him.

"Remember what I said the day I awoke, Jowee?" Wilfre replied sternly, though also hesitantly, "When I said I wasn't always in control? Well... This is exactly what I was talking about. The lying monster I became was due to Sly changing how my mind worked; in fact, you remember how I was when I first awoke! I acted like a complete Rapoing jerk because of how much Sly twisted my mind!"

Jowee let out a low growl, pulling out his acorn shooter. "BAKI DUNG, WILFRE!" he yelled this time, aiming it toward his face, "You're so full of it! I bet you were lying about every single Rapoing thing you've said! I can't believe that only until NOW I've really seen it for myself!"

Wilfre seemed to flinch with widened eyes when he saw Jowee do this. "I'm not lying!" he responded, though unable to help but draw his sword in defense. "Jowee, I promise you I haven't lied about anything ever since I awoke. Everything I said was the complete, honest truth. Now please put that away; otherwise I'll be forced to defend myself. I really don't want to spill a friend's blood over something he chose to not understand!"

"I'm not your friend," Jowee simply spat, pulling out his other acorn shooter. Then he made an evil looking face, one that almost scared Wilfre to bits knowing it was coming from Jowee. "Y'know... Pirate Beard taught he how to make someone 'walk the plank'..." The tone had become strangely calm, collected.

Wilfre's face fell entirely at this point, his heart pounding in his chest from fear, an emotion he never expected to gain from someone like Jowee; who was more known as an excitable goofball. He even began to wonder if he would ever see that side of Jowee again. "You wouldn't DARE," he replied, trying to remain stern and gripping his sword. "You NEED me!"

"Oh, I WOULD dare!" Jowee replied, now aiming both shooters at his face, "We'd find SOME other way, without the likes of YOU!"

Opening the door for the Map room, Mari stepped out and shut the door behind her. She could hear Wilfre and Jowee arguing about something, so she looked around and soon enough, found them. Her eyes widened when she realized their weapons were out and the fight seemed pretty heated. They looked as if they were literally about to maul each other; their faces twisted with both rage and dispair. She quickly padded up to them, being as brave as she could at shoving in between them. "Break it up, NOW! I won't have it with you two fighting like this! What the Rapo is WRONG with you?"

Seeing Mari do this as well as feeling her paw pressing against his chest, Jowee couldn't help but blush a little, before quickly covering it up. "That lying pile of Baki dung in front of me is what's wrong!" he exclaimed, though tried to reclaim his senses a little. "He knew, all this time... That they were REAL, and what'd he do? He just went 'There was never a Sock'! and NEVER decided to tell us the truth until we figured it out for ourselves!"

"I already told you," Wilfre replied in frustration, "I wasn't ALWAYS the one in control! Using them in the first place was Sly's idea-"

"Oh sure!" Jowee snapped in rebuttal, "Just use the 'Sly' excuse because you're too much of... A scared wittle Rapo to own up to the past!" This line made Wilfre stop cold, his eyes widening as he remembered saying the same phrase to Mari years back. Mari herself seemed to get a shocked face, knowing already that it was the worst imaginable way to refer the past.

Seeing Wilfre's reaction, Jowee smirked again, continuing on. "Block the village gate; all Sly! Attempting to kill the Mayor; just because of Sly! Stealing color; oh wait, that was Sly too! Using two innocent Raposa lives as disguises; of COURSE it was Sly all along! Not like you can think of any evil plans for yourself, right? What do you say, Prettyboy? Am I right?"

"I said to BREAK IT UP!" Mari yelled out, shoving her paws between them further and stopping when they were forced to step away from each other. "Jowee, you're acting like a complete jerk! How would you know anything about when Wilfre was still covered in Shadow Goo? Throwing around accusations? How could you?"

"Of course YOU would defend him!" Jowee yelled out, at this point losing all of his remaining sense, "Even after everything he did, even after you came back to us... Ever since he woke up, you act like he's an old friend or something! Like he never did anything wrong! Whenever I would say something, you're just all 'Just get along with him'! Well, after learning about something like THAT... I don't think so!" He shook a little after saying this, feeling like most of the frustration had finally come out of him. This caused his mind to clear enough to realize something; that he had just blown up at Mari. His eyes widened in shock before he abruptly ran off without another word. He didn't even want to look back.

Seeing him run off like that, Mari felt a small tear run down her face before quickly swiping at it. Afterwards, she turned to Wilfre, doing her best to hide the turmoil that was beginning to take place inside of her. Resting a paw on his shoulder, she said softly, "I'm sure he didn't mean that... Give him a little time, okay?"

Wilfre nodded a little, relaxing from her touch and believing what he was told; thus not feeling too hurt from Jowee's words. If anything, he was more upset with the fact Mari sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

It was pitch dark by the time Jowee found a spot on Turtlerock to be alone, panting a bit and leaning himself just a little over the safety fencing. He immediately smacked himself on the forehead with a paw, crying out "Stupid!" to himself. Afterwards, he sighed a bit, even if he still felt angry from the whole thing. Though, it was less at Wilfre and now more at himself for what he had just done. "Why did I have to go and yell at Mari...? I got so mad and I... Oh Rapo, why couldn't I control my feelings...?"

While he continued to think, he suddenly heard the mangled version of Wilfre's voice from behind, as it called out with a soft cackle. Freezing up, Jowee immediately turned to see the twin pools of light that were Sly's shadowed eyes, as well as his also white grin.

"S-Sly...?" Jowee replied, a bit in fear as he had dropped his acorn shooters when he had run away, "But how did you even...? How the Rapo did you...? What do you want?" Sly stepped forward, glaring evilly at his reaction.

"Nevermind that," was all he answered before changing the subject, "Anyway, I heard that Wilfre was misbehaving again. Pity... What did he do this time?" Jowee wasn't sure if he should say anything, but the slight rage for Wilfre was still inside of him and it didn't take long before he spilled out the story.

Once he finished, Sly nodded, putting a shadowed paw on his chin in thought before replying. It began with a small, irritated sigh. "He's such a pawful, is he not? Behaving just like a bratty young Rapo; thinking he could get away with something like that then covering it up with excuses." He seemed to pause a little, before grinning wickedly, "You know... He was also covering up even more than that about those two."

"More?" Jowee repeated, almost in disbelief, "What's more to tell? They're gone..."

"Well..." Sly chuckled before coming closer and leaning in to whisper something into Jowee's ear. "They're actually not dead, dear Jowee."

"No..." Jowee breathed, pulling away, "There was a memorial and everything! There's no way they're alive! There's... No way Sock is alive..." At first he spouted this out; not wanting to believe anything Sly was telling him. After a little while, he couldn't help but believe it anyway; most likely for the sake of having a more positive outlook on the situation. He even began to imagine one day seeing Sock again like old times, even if it meant playing those silly games young Rapos played. It made him smile just a little from it all, wishing for it to come true.

"Now..." Sly replied, crossing his arms with a softened glare. "What would you say if I told you that Wilfre needed to be punished? I know the perfect way to make Wilfre behave... FOREVER." After saying that, Sly let out a devious cackle once again. Oddly enough, Jowee made his own devious expression from the idea. Oh boy, the chance to finally get back at him for being such a smug jerk!

"I'd love to see the look on his face when he gets what he deserves," Jowee replied in triumph, before laughing a little. "I was originally wanting to make him 'walk the plank', but... I'd like to hear your idea."

"That's a surprise," Sly answered him at first, but then continued, "All you have to do is to bring him out here. Do whatever you have to do to make him come outside; alone." With a nod, Jowee immediately started to one of the houses of Turtlerock before Sly called out to him.

"Make sure he doesn't bring that WRETCHED sword with him too, if you don't mind. Otherwise he won't be punished properly!"

"Of course," Jowee replied with a nod, heading to the house entirely now. Watching him, Sly waited until Jowee had entered the house and shut the door behind him. Once he was out of earshot, he began to cackle with glee and excitement, a bit louder than before.

"That was far too easy!"


	13. 13 Use the Force!

Unlucky thirteen? Perhaps...

Though also lucky?

Not sure why, but I just thought this fitted Samuel's style.

Thanks for everything, guys.

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><p>13. Use the Force!<p>

Wilfre was sitting on a bench, looking up at the stars glittering in the sky above. It was a good sight to see; and he figured that he would be able to see this kind of sky for another few days before they would get close to Lavasteam. As a burst of wind blew through him, he hugged himself a little, shivering a tiny bit. Even if he had fur and was clothed, the air still felt a bit too chilly for his liking. He let out a shaky sigh to himself, remembering just how things had led to this.

Earlier on, Jowee had entered the house and said he wanted to talk to Wilfre. Mari had beamed up at him, believing that Jowee wanted to apologize for his behavior before and didn't hesitate to call for Wilfre. Jowee even went on to explain that he'd meet him at this bench. Due to what Mari believed, Wilfre set aside any suspicion and left his sword indoors.

So far, he had waited at this bench for about fifteen minutes now, with no sign of Jowee whatsoever. Whenever he would hear a noise, it was just the bedsheet sail, or was just a stray leaf, and once or twice it was simply Samuel up to doing his strange things. Wilfre would turn to look at him, seeing Samuel lifting small stones off the ground - but not with his paws. Literally they would begin to float while his paws would guide where it went.

Samuel was truly a strange one, but it was best to just let him proceed with his doings.

After a long while of waiting, he let out another sigh, crossing his arms more in impatience than getting cold. To himself, he muttered "Where could he BE?" before he let out a gasp of surprise as a giant, Shadow Gooed hand grabbed onto him and held him firmly. There was that infamous cackle as Sly peeked over the opposite end of the bench from behind, looking deep into Wilfre's eyes with that manic grin.

"Miss me?" he said simply.

Wilfre immediately began to struggle from within the giant hand encasing him, but his squirming became fruitless as he was lifted from the bench entirely. Even from being lifted, Wilfre was able to speak out, though quite fearfully. "You...! How'd you even find us?"

Sly went away from the bench now, padding toward the clearing of Turtlerock while carrying Wilfre as he did so, humming City Funk to himself. Ignoring his question, he replied "It was all so easy... They're not nearly as bright as I thought. Oh well; I shouldn't complain since I got the best prize of all!"

"They?" Wilfre responded, squirming more but felt uncomfortable even doing so since it was Shadow Gooed, "Mari, Jowee and Samuel? They're not stupid!"

"Oh no...?" Sly said cooly, turning to face Wilfre, "Then why was Jowee fooled so easily as to make you come out here unarmed? Alone? In the dark? In a secluded spot?"

"He wanted to speak with me," Wilfre said this as calmly as he could, but was also easily piecing something together at this point, "Surely there must be some mistake...!"

"There was no mistaking it," Sly cackled once more, bringing Wilfre face-to-face, "He let his anger get the best of him; and now he thinks I'm simply going to punish you for your wrongdoings. Really, so easily manipulated? I should make him a minion for doing something so wonderful for me!"

Wilfre's face fell in shock as his original thoughts had come true after all. "Oh my Creator," he breathed in disarray, before glaring harshly at him with a growl, "You... You tricked him into doing something like... Like THAT... Sly, you're a monster!"

"You've JUST NOW realized that, have you?" Sly replied, squeezing Wilfre's body a little with the hand but not enough to damage him, "Well I AM still going to force you back to me and of course never let you out of my sight again. But..." he paused a little, his face twisting into insanity, "I also may as well do as I promised Jowee I would. As a minion-to-be, he deserves that much!"

"N-NO...!" Wilfre nearly yelled out, squirming even more in fear. He had nothing to defend himself with and he knew what Sly was capable of. It didn't take long before his sentences became frantic, almost desperate. "I-I mean... I'm your prized host, after all...! Why would you want to hurt something so valuable to you? I... I'm even technically your FATHER...!"

Sly wasn't listening, simply squeezing Wilfre's body a little more before using the arm to throw him across Turtlerock. Wilfre let out a yell of fright as he made a rough landing in the dirt, almost immediately trying to get up to turn tail and flee. Sly leaped into the air and soon enough cleared the distance between each other, using his paw this time to grab Wilfre and pull his front forward by the shirt, using his other paw to simply smack his face repeatedly, then following that with punches.

Wilfre retaliated by using his own paws to grab onto Slys', kicking him a little in the gut with his leg; which did make Sly back off a little but quickly reapproach. With this quickness, Sly spread out one of his giant hand's palm but bunched the fingers together, wasting no time in colliding that against the side of Wilfre's torso. This made him fall over on his side, grunting in dazed pain.

Sly actually waited to close the space between them again until Wilfre managed to stand, though was grunting in pain still. When Sly came close, Wilfre attempted to throw his own punches and kicks at Sly but he dodged each, backing up a bit and bringing out his fake hand. He curled that to a fist and uppercutted Wilfre hard enough to send him flying straight into the air. Sly watched in laughter, hearing his scared cries as pain coursed through his upper body.

With the same hand, Sly grabbed Wilfre by the legs as he came back, proceeding to dangle him upside down. Seeing what Sly was going to do, Wilfre did his best to escape, even punching against the hand with his paws, but the grip became so tight he instead let out another yell as it felt like his legs were being crushed. Sly smirked at his reaction, tossing him in the air a couple of times and catching him in the same place. It was almost like practicing your hand-eye coordination in a way, except Wilfre was experiencing quite a scary torture at the same time.

After a bit of doing this, Sly grew bored and decided to do something else. Using the arm, Sly lifted Wilfre higher off the ground, now rightside up, before swiftly using Wilfre himself to whack against a fence and the ground repeatedly before tossing him away once again. This time, Wilfre would've landed in the ocean if not for luckily grabbing onto the cliff with the help of his claws. Using both paws now, he struggled to lift himself onto land, but it was quite difficult since he was in so much pain by now. Sly simply padded over to him, bending down on his back paws and looking down at him in mirth.

"I thought you were stronger than this, Wilfre," he scoffed lightly as he watched him struggle to get up, "Maybe you're becoming an old Rapo. So old, weak, helpless... Like that Mayor we attempted to murder."

"I-I'm TWENTY-FOUR!" Wilfre cried out a bit, mostly from the fact he was beginning to slip in his grasp. He struggled with his back paws to find some kind of paw hold but couldn't find anything. "Rapo..."

"You simply must stop being so melodramatic," Sly said, letting out a chuckle before using the hand again to grab Wilfre off the edge and hold him high in the air once more. This time, as he calmly padded to the center of the clearing and humming once again, the grip became so tight Wilfre struggled to breathe. "However, I will say that this is quickly getting old. A one-sided fight that ceases to be amusing."

Once he finished saying this, they reached the center of the clearing once more, Sly loosening the grip just enough to allow Wilfre breath. Sly ignored his gasps and pants as he brought him down near the ground, however Wilfre's back to him. Sly pulled out something and Wilfre heard, turning his head fearfully at what it could be.

"W...What's that?" he said quietly though very paniced, fearfully crying out when the other fake hand forced his head to face forward. Wilfre was sweating in complete unadultrated fear at this point, being able to imagine what Sly could've pulled out, each image making him shiver more than the previous. Then, Wilfre felt his ponytail being tugged lightly by Sly's paw, the other paw weilding the mysterious object. Not too long after it followed with hearing a _snip snip_ noise and his eyes immediately widened.

"NO...!" he whimpered pathetically at this point, feeling the pair of scissors' blades rest around the remaining ponytail, struggling and squirming violently now, "NO, CREATOR, NO...! PLEASE, ANYTHING BUT THAT...!" However Sly let out a loud cackle, gripping the handle of the scissors firmly and about to do the 'honor' of cutting off the ponytail-

Before a sudden whack against the side of his head forced him to drop the scissors to the ground. On top of this it was such a force that Sly staggered to the side before falling over completely; falling unconcious and thus releasing Wilfre. Wilfre used this time to run from the KOed Sly, even if his entire body was throbbing from pain. However, not too far from there he noticed a floating, large bag. His eyes widened but relaxed when he saw Samuel and another Raposa pad up to him.

"Are you alright?" Samuel asked in concern, making the bag lower to the ground. Looking him over entirely, he shook his head. "No, don't answer that. Zsasha, take him inside; he needs urgent medical attention."

"But will you be alright on your own?" Zsasha replied, but came forward either way. "It's that shadow leader, after all... If you're not careful, he'll tear you apart!"

"I'll be just fine," Samuel nodded simply, "Even if I get hurt, I'll be able to distract him long enough for the rest of us to come defend Turtlerock."

Zsasha nodded and began to lead Wilfre away toward the house, understanding what more he would need to do. "Yes sir!" he saluted him a bit, before adding teasingly as he went, "But THEN you show me how to do that!" Wilfre was still pretty dazed and almost traumatized from what occured a few minutes ago, as well as his body continuing to ache all over and making it harder for him to move at all. So at this point he simply followed the exthief to the house, but not really aware of what was going on.

Meanwhile, Samuel wandered off but not too far from the large bag, picking up more stones with his mysterious ways and guiding them into the bag. The new stones added even more weight to the bag, but it wasn't any problem for how Samuel lifted it. Though, he also realized that even if he hadn't been born with this odd ability, telekinesis, he probably still would've been able to weild the bag with his bare paws; for once a thankful blessing for the Shadow that once controlled him.

However, telekinesis was his best ability, spending years to master controlling it and learning his limits.

By the time Sly stirred, Samuel had already lifted the bag up again, but kept it close to him. Sly shook his head a little before standing up, though did so shakily. Samuel looked upon him with an unreadable expression on his face, trying to make it seem like he was unpredictable. Thankfully at this point both Zsasha and Wilfre were nowhere to be seen, so Sly wouldn't be able to know where he had disappeared to.

Sly looked around briefly, seeking Wilfre but not finding him. Instead, only Samuel was in his path of sight. He let out a yell of frustration, clenching his paws and hands into fists.

_That moronic Jowee!_ he yelled in his head, shaking from his rage, _Can't even follow a simple command and now... This TRAITOR ambushed me with his weird magic! Ugh... Very well, I'll deal with the traitor first, THEN take Wilfre back. No more games... It ends now._

"I know who you seek," Samuel stated calmly, but also was curt, "But you cannot have him, no matter how much you try to trick us."

Sly hissed coldly, his expression becoming even more angry now. "Then I guess I'll just have to kill all of you first. Shouldn't be too hard since Wilfre himself is weak and helpless, like the rest of you lot."

"Have you not seen Watersong lately?" was Samuel's reply, lifting the bag higher when Sly started to approach, "Do not judge a book by its cover. Judge by its contents."

"Shut up with your stupid riddles, you meddling traitor!" Sly blurted in rage before leaping forward to attack Samuel. He had expected this from Sly, so Samuel used his paw to make the floating bag whack against Sly. As he did so he backed up a good amount of space so Sly wouldn't be able to easily retaliate. Sly fell back but landed on his back paws, reaching his fake hand out to attack from afar while Samuel reacted quickly by using the bag to shield him.

"You can't have him," Samuel stated this, though through gritted teeth since it used energy to keep the bag floating. Sly hissed again when the bag hit the fake hand continuously, being forced to pull back and run up to him instead. It didn't take long before Sly got close to Samuel, so he dropped the bag onto the ground, instead using his own arms to deflect against Sly's attacks. He managed to deflect and even counter-attack most of them, but a few were missed as well.

Meanwhile one of Sly's fake hands clenched into a fist once more, going right above where Samuel was standing to slam it upon him. Samuel saw this and abruptly backed up when it came crashing down, but it didn't fail to make him more nervous about what Sly could plan. When Sly immediately tried this again with the other fist, Samuel lifted the bag again and backed up more, his heart beginning to pound from it all. This definitely wasn't going to be easy, Samuel realized quickly.

This went on for a little while before Samuel had enough, moving the bag over Sly and making that crash down on him. It made Sly yell out in pain, being flattened under the weight of the bag. By this time Samuel had been panting a little from everything before. He kept the bag over Sly as he looked briefly toward the house Zsasha had lead Wilfre into earlier, to see nothing had changed yet.

_Come on..._ he thought to himself, a bit impatiently, _Please hurry... I don't know how much longer I can hold him off..._

Looking back at the bag, Sly's flattened form was now missing, fake arms and all. Samuel looked over the bag a little before apparently taking too long, as he was then lifted up by Sly's giant hand. He let out a gasp and immediately began to struggle; mostly trying to get a paw freed so he could arm himself with the bag again.

"You're a better fighter," Sly was panting a bit as well but also was in pain from the edgy tone in his voice, "I could give you another chance, Samuel... After all, you were loyal up until Wilfre rescued you... I could host you to a stronger Shadow, and serve a larger-scaled purpose than a mere preacher... Come on, what do you say?"

Looking down at Sly, Samuel immediately shook his head, managing to free a paw. "I respectfully decline," he murmured as he lifted the bag a little, and afterwards used it to whack through the fake arm connected to the hand. "I could NEVER go back to you!" he continued louder this time, even as Sly let out a yell of pain as it felt like the arm was chopped in two. Samuel fell to the ground and felt pain shoot up his legs even as he landed on his back paws, letting out a small cry of his own. This even caused him to drop the bag from his telekinesis, too much in shock to concentrate.

Sly on the other paw was gritting his teeth in pain, sucking in air as the half with the hand became a puddle of Shadow Goo. Eventually he growled viciously, grabbing the bag with his other fake hand and throwing it aside, then curling it into a fist to slam against Samuel's front. When the bag landed on the ground, it ripped apart, stones scattering around it. Samuel's eyes widened at this, and was only able to put the hood over his head and upper face before being slammed onto the ground by the giant hand, a bit dazed now.

"Maybe then..." Sly panted in rage, standing over the still dazed Samuel, "I shall use force on the both of you... That idiot Jowee isn't even worth my time right now... Not until he stops being stupid... Why, when I get my paws on him...!" He was suddenly stopped as a flurry of throwing knives went through various parts of his body, making holes before they soon covered themselves back up. However it didn't stop him from hissing in frustration and abruptly turning to see a very ticked off Mari.

"You... You did something to Jowee, didn't you?" she hissed, glaring daggers at him and already getting out more throwing knives. "DIDN'T YOU?"

Sly let out a huff of annoyance at seeing her, now distracted while Samuel managed to slowly get up and back away from him. "_I _wasn't the one who made him angry in the first place. I only suggested giving Wilfre what he deserved. He chose to do what I suggested due to his anger, dear Mayor Mari."

"I don't believe you," Mari answered simply, threatening to throw the knives again.

Sly smirked now, then letting out a cackle. "Why ever not...? Your friend is a moron, letting his emotions overtake what was important. I WANTED to make him a minion, but he's apparently THAT much of a moron to not be worth it after all..." After saying this, he saw Jowee pad forward, beside Mari now. Sly ignored the guilty, betrayed expression on his face, padding forward and pulling him close by the shirt. Mari instinctively backed up, wanting to throw the knives, but held off a little.

"Speak of the DEVIL," Sly sneered at Jowee, who stared at him with fear in his eyes, "You are a Rapoing idiot! If it wasn't for Mr. Magical Easedropper, Wilfre's captu-PUNISHMENT would've been uninterrupted! You call yourself a minion-to-be with that atrocity? DO YOU?" When Jowee didn't respond, Sly growled and tossed him aside roughly, causing him to land in the dirt a few yards away.

_Why...? _Jowee thought in his mind as he struggled to get back up, _Why did I listen to him? He was trying to take Wilfre back into his twisted empire and dragging me down with him...!_

Sly wanted to attempt attacking Mari, but also saw Samuel recovered and lifting a few of the scattered stones from afar, while Jowee was struggling to stand up from where he landed. Instead, he hissed in fury, stamping one of his back paws into the puddle of Shadow Goo and absorbing it; which caused the halved fake arm to regenerate.

"You ALL know you're just delaying the inevitable," he spat, knowing how outnumbered he was and beginning to shroud his own body with the fake arms, "One day you're all going to be a part of my empire, looking back on these days and LAUGHING at your idiocy!" After this, before anyone could do anything more to him, his entire body twisted into a tornado, spreading upward and into the sky, disappearing.


	14. 14 Treat With Tenderness

I have to admit, last chapter had what I believed to be the best fighting scene I've ever written thus far. Maybe later fights will be more impressive, though. Maybe they need to be more intense?

Sorry that the update was a bit late; college started up again.

Though, thanks to everyone who reviews and who continue to review. Moving right along!

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><p>14. Treat With Tenderness<p>

"SLY...!" Wilfre gasped out in a panic, "SLY IS HERE AND HE'S GOING TO-!" He was cut off when Mari noticed him trying to sit up, her paw resting firmly on his shoulder to push him back against the bed.

"Don't worry Wilfre," she interrupted him as calmly as she could, "He's gone; you're safe! Now take it easy... You were hurt pretty bad out there, so you need to rest, okay?" By her words, Wilfre hissed a little as pain shot up his spine and arms from trying to force himself upright, sinking back in a laying position under her paw's guidance. Afterwards he trembled a bit from the pain even when most of it subsided, gritting his teeth a bit now.

"But... He... Was right about one thing," he muttered, a bit angry at himself for needing to be saved so badly, "I used to be much stronger than this... Why was I so embarrassingly weak?"

"You're not weak," said not Mari, but Jowee. He padded up to the bed Wilfre was laying in, looking upon him rather guiltily. "You did all you could to defend yourself bare-pawed against Sly. If anyone is weak, it's me." Jowee paused a little with a gulp, before seeing that neither of the two was responding to him. So he continued on, "I-I mean... I got so mad and I lost sight of everything! It made me not trust you anymore and even made me blow up on Mari! And then it made me actually BELIEVE Sly instead..."

While Wilfre seemed to be listening, Mari on the other paw crossed her arms, looking away from Jowee; as if she was ignoring him. This made Jowee begin to panic from Mari's lack of response, beginning to suspect that Mari wouldn't forgive him. "So I'm sorry, okay?" he added hastily, getting down on his knees and putting his paws together as if in a plea. "I'm sorry, Mari...! I'm sorry I yelled at you... You weren't defending Wilfre just because of the past; you were because I was being stupid and throwing accusations like you said! And... And Mari, I... I l-"

Mari had turned to face him when he apologized, putting her paws over his, before pulling him into a hug. Jowee cut off his words from this, now blushing a bit from the affection and a bit in shock. "I forgive you, you big goofball," she whispered to him, which made Jowee smile in relief and holding her in return. Meanwhile in all this, Wilfre had watched them with a small smirk on his face, unable to look away from what he saw.

_They're going to make quite the couple one day,_ he thought to himself. _Hopefully it'll be by the time this is all over..._

"And Wilfre," Jowee started again once they had pulled away from the embrace, nervously looking at him, "I'm sorry for what I did to you. Being rude, calling you names, pulling on your hair, accusing your honesty, threatening you, then finally baiting you for Sly... I'm sorry for all of it. And like I said... You're not weak. You're one of the strongest Raposa I know..." While Jowee trailed off, Wilfre thought about what had happened earlier that day, when Jowee had be so angry and suspicious of him. Truth be told, it did make Wilfre miffed to think Jowee could easily go back to not trusting him even after trying to make things right, one pawstep at a time.

He even began to wonder the true origins of this, before he mentally smacked himself when he realized it was most likely due to when Mari used to be on his side, and THEN now knowing Jowee's feelings for her. _Could it be fear? Jealousy? Or nothing more than simply being protective of her?_ he thought a bit about this, before having to sigh to himself. _I'll have to tell him soon and put this to rest once and for all..._

Wilfre tried instinctively to sit up again, due to feeling uncomfortable with the way he was laying, before the pain in his body harshly reminding him not to. Still laying back now, he finally looked to Jowee, carefully reaching a paw out for him instead. "I accept your apology," he finally said, unable to help smiling a bit when Jowee had beamed; his own paw holding onto Wilfre's. This warm feeling of forgiveness made Jowee feel like a weight was lifted from his shoulders, or maybe two from Mari's as well.

After their paws separated, Wilfre seemed to remember a bit of something. "Does anyone know how Zsasha is on Turtlerock with us?"

"I was wondering that too," Mari replied before smiling a bit to herself, "Samuel said he stowed away. Though not even Zsasha himself will admit for how long."

"Well, at least so far he hasn't tried stealing anything," Jowee added, much more like his old self this time, "Ever since Sly left earlier, he's been hanging around with Samuel. Something about 'showing him how to do that cool trick'."

"Cool trick..." Wilfre repeated, thinking it over before he snapped his paw as he remembered. "When Samuel first saved me from Sly, he was making a large bag of stones float in the air."

Jowee's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa... So you mean that Samuel can make things levitate? That sounds so... So cool!"

Mari rolled her eyes knowingly before she heard the pawsteps of Samuel and Zsasha. The three Raposa turned their attention to them as they walked in the room.

"Oh, thank goodness," Samuel spoke first, not taking long before he neared the bed. "He's concious again. I was beginning to get worried that something worse happened."

"Hello," Wilfre greeted, wanting to sit up but quickly remembering why not and waved a little instead, "And no. Aside from feeling like my body was hit by a giant Baki every time I try to sit up, I believe I'm alright. But err... What do you mean 'again'?"

Zsasha came up close to the bed as well, nearby Samuel. "The moment you walked into the house, you fainted." he said, though with a bit of unease. "And... Something tells me it wasn't from the pain..."

"Really?" Samuel responded, though still levelly. "Hm... Actually, you may be onto something. It was too dark to see what it was exactly, but Sly was about to do something that made Wilfre react in such a stressed matter. Seems to me it could've been something tramuatic..."

Wilfre began to wonder a little himself, trying to remember what had happened at first before his face paled from the memory. Slowly he sunk deep into the covers, so it now covered his lower face. He would've looked away from all of them but couldn't since they surrounded the bed in each angle. He shut his eyes instead, almost hoping to pass out again just to avoid this topic. He felt pretty private about the matter and it seemed embarrassing to even say.

Though he was listening to the explaination, Jowee saw Wilfre trying to hide himself in the bed. He hastily added "That's terrible... But either way, I don't think we should worry too much. All that matters now is that he's okay, right?" Wilfre's ears seemed to perk from those words, and his face recovered some blood when he opened his eyes to find Samuel nodding in agreement.

"That's true," Samuel replied, seeming to catch on the hint Jowee was trying to get across. Meanwhile, Wilfre sighed quietly to himself in relief, rising up carefully in the bed again. After a bit, Samuel decided to introduce a different topic entirely. "I'm curious... Is our course for Lavasteam still correct? I wouldn't be surprised if Sly had tried to get us off course." Jowee's face became shocked and he ran out of the room in a hurry.

"I'll go check!" he said before he was out the door. Once he was outside, he headed straight to where the sail was. To his surprise, it was exactly the same as he had left it a few hours before. He tilted his head in a bit of confusion, but shrugged afterward. Then he blinked as an excited smile came onto his face.

_Oh yeah,_ he thought to himself in his excitement, _We were heading to Lavasteam...! I really should've cared about that a little more... All those cool Robosas..._

He giggled a bit from the thoughts before turning away from the sail. Looking upon the clearing and the buildings, Jowee decided he could be outside for a bit longer to investigate just a little. If he was lucky, he figured, he'd find out some things that went on...

He began by walking toward the clearing, but not really finding anything amiss. However, soon he felt his back paw nudge against something cold and metally. "What...?" he asked himself quietly, bending down and picking the object up. Feeling it over a little in his paws, it was a pair of scissors. From the way it felt, it obviously wasn't Mari's or even his own. Plus he was sure Samuel didn't even own a pair of scissors and Zsasha probably had no reason to steal a pair...

On top of this, he also realized Wilfre's hair was shorter in length now than it was; but this was even before Sly attacked earlier. So it couldn't be Wilfre's either, though Jowee huffed a bit in laughter at the thought; as he knew Wilfre probably wouldn't even dream of trimming his own hair for anything.

So who's pair of scissors was this?

Sighing from all the thinking, Jowee made sure the scissors were snipped shut before placing it into his shirt pocket for later. He put a paw on his chin in thought now, remembering even earlier how Wilfre was shocked by something in Turtlerock's Creation Hall.

_I was just checking for something. Due to a dream I had last night..._ He recalled Wilfre saying, starting toward the Creation Hall now. Opening the door, he stepped inside, flicking on the lightswitch so he could see. The sudden brightness made his eyes tightly shut at first, before squinting them back open to adjust.

_What kind of dream would he have to make him come in here?_ Jowee thought to himself as his eyes adjusted to the light. _A memory? Someone told him to? Or it just made him curious?_ Soon, he could see the inside fully now, stepping into the building more and looking around. Just as they had remembered it, it was a lot like the one in the village - books on shelves, a stool in the center of the room, a mannequin-

That wasn't there. Jowee's eyes widened and he padded to where the mannequin was supposed to have been, to find it wasn't there anymore. This was strange; even after an adventure the Hero would pop up again but as he was before, in the spot he used to rest...

But for one reason or another, it wasn't there anymore. With that, Jowee turned tail, shutting off the light and closing the door behind him before finally fleeing back to the house. In his hurry, he didn't take long; and before he knew it, he was already at the doorway to Wilfre's bedroom. The others looked at him in surprise, mostly from seeing Jowee panting from shock about something. He wanted to tell them right away, but words failed him due to his pants.

"Jowee?" Mari asked him in concern, coming up and putting her paw on his shoulder, "You alright?"

"Are we off course?" Samuel added, to which Jowee only shook his head.

"Sly didn't return, did he?" Wilfre then asked, though a bit worried. He relaxed when Jowee shook his head again.

"You saw what happened to my bag?" Zsasha exclaimed, which made Jowee shake his head once more, this time in irritation.

"Then what IS it?" Mari asked him again, though still calmly. Finally, Jowee straightened up.

"Two things..." he said at first, before wondering which would be more important to say first. At last, he decided on one of them, continuing on, "The mannequin in the Creation Hall is gone." Wilfre was the only one out of them that didn't react with surprise and shock.

"Impossible," Samuel replied at first, remembering a bit of something. "I looked in there myself a few days ago; it was there!"

"I never saw one when I stowed away..." Zsasha added, though a bit embarrassedly, then even moreso when they stared at him, "I didn't steal it, I swear!"

"I checked too, when we first left the village," Mari spoke afterwards, putting her paw on her chin in thought, "I saw it... But it was gone by the time Zsasha stowed away, and still is now..."

After a bit more thought, Jowee finally approached the bed Wilfre was laying in. "And I know you checked too, Wilfre. You said it was because you had a dream?" Wilfre blinked a bit before nodding.

"Yes, I had a dream..." he replied, not just to Jowee but the others as well, "It made me want to check the Creation Hall as soon as possible; as well as the one in our village. From the dream, it gave me an odd feeling that the mannequin wouldn't be there. Sure enough, the feeling became truth." Wilfre paused immediately after those last words, a sensation of deja vu overcoming him. Hastily, he added afterward, "The mannequin was indeed missing."

The others thought about this for a bit, before Samuel asked to Wilfre, "Do you think your dream gave you any clues about where the mannequin disappeared to?"

"None that I know of," Wilfre sighed, having no choice but to tell about the dream itself, "But ironically enough, in the dream I was speaking to the Hero. At the end, I asked him if we would meet again... He replied that we would, 'Soon, actually'. Then I asked when and all he said was 'I'm sorry, Wilfre. But that's a secret'."

"No wonder you went to check the Creation Hall," Mari replied after another few moments of thought, "You wanted to know how true the dream was. So 'soon' wasn't when you chose to check..."

Jowee however was very confused. It wasn't from what was said, but rather the underlying reason why. Wilfre was supposed to be the one to destroy Sly and his empire, and they all knew this now. So why would a Hero ever be needed for something like this? The missing mannequin must mean that this Hero is out and about somewhere, but Jowee couldn't be sure. He almost didn't want to believe it.

_Maybe we were wrong?_ Jowee thought to himself, _Maybe Wilfre isn't meant to save us? Or maybe the Creator thought we would need some extra help? Or maybe even... Sly stowed away on Turtlerock as well, and took the mannequin to... To use against us? A false Hero? Wait, no. Jowee, don't jump to conclusions._

"It must be fate when you meet him again," Samuel had replied, a little curtly, "When you don't expect it to occur. However, even then it begs the question; why?"

"Either way, we'll need to discuss this later," Mari replied, beginning to leave the room now, and adding a bit sternly, "We need to let Wilfre rest for a while..."

While the others nodded in understanding and beginning to leave as well, Wilfre tried once more to sit up, but still being unable to without pain searing through his body. However, he managed to reply stubbornly, "I do not! It's not like I am near death or anything!" Mari couldn't help but giggle from the response, looking back at him with a small, teasing smile on her face.

"Get well soon, Wilfre!" she said singsongly before leaving entirely, along with all but Jowee. He was going to be the last to leave, but he paused at the doorway before coming back toward the bed. Meanwhile, Wilfre pouted with crossed arms, but soon let it go when he saw Jowee come near again, almost confused. It became complete bewilderment when Jowee had laid a paw softly on his head, patting it a little.

"It won't be so bad..." he tried to say with a straight face, "It'll be like caring for a baby Rapo! We could feed you and bathe you and read you bedtime stories...!" Right afterwards, Jowee lost it and bursted out laughing at the thoughts; though pulled his paw away from Wilfre's head. Wilfre looked upon him unamused, but even then it was more of a teasing matter.

"You realize I'm older than both of you, do you not?" he said simply with a sigh, before lightly gasping from Jowee instead gingerly tugging on one of his ears.

"I was just kidding..." Jowee replied before letting his ear go, then smirking a little, "Why so serious all the time?" And no matter how hard Wilfre tried, that line alone caused him to lose all seriousness in the matter, not taking long at all to wallow in laughter.

"You Rapoing goofball...!"


	15. 15 Refuge in Lavasteam

What's this? A new chapter! Don't worry, the story is not dead yet. And thanks to all who keep reviewing, too. You're all amazing.

More characters are introduced here, too. Seriously these characters are so fun to write sometimes.

Jowee, Wilfre, Samuel, Zsasha, The newly meeted characters, even Sly... At least it helps!

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><p>15. Refuge in Lavasteam<p>

If there was one thing Wilfre hated more than the Creator (which was really saying something), it was having to be bedridden for pretty much the rest of the way to Lavasteam. Well, almost, actually. When it was the night before they would arrive, Wilfre had gone stir-crazy. He had literally leapt from the bed and run out of the room, making his way quickly to the front door and stepping outside. Once he was, he took a deep breath of the cool, refreshing, night yet sea air. During this whole time, he hardly hurt at all; just a slight pang of pain in certain spots but nothing that kept him from moving.

Then, he had felt himself being drug back into the house by Mari and he immediately was against ever going near that bed for at least another ten or twelve hours.

"Oh please don't make me go into that bed again you have NO idea what it's like to be forced to lay in a bed for days I mean honestly I almost forgot how to walk and I was a little dizzy as well and it was so Rapo stuffy in there and it almost smells of Rapoing disease if you understand that smell so you seriously have not LIVED until you've had to be in there and sometimes feeling like you're rotting or something now please keep that bed away from me or so help me Creator I will lose my Rapoing MIND!" Wilfre started to pant a little after saying all this, in almost one breath, even.

When he had finished, Mari had stopped and looked at him; at first it was like he had indeed lost his mind, before it became a little comforting. She even chuckled a little, patting his back a little. "Jeez Wilfre, calm down!" she had said, "I just did that because you ran out of the house when it was so cold out there. Didn't want you to get over your injuries just to get sick, you know?"

"...Oh," Wilfre replied lamely, relaxing before putting his paws over his temples. "Rapo, all this bedrest has fried my brain... I'm still a little dizzy, even lightheaded."

Mari smiled just a little, taking one of his paws into her own and leading him somewhere to sit; a sofa. "Hm..." she thought a bit as Wilfre sat down, "Maybe something to eat will help clear that up?"

"Perhaps," Wilfre replied, though was half-paying attention, rubbing his eyes just a little. "I refused to eat anything ever since Jowee forcefed me soup." At this Mari seemed confused before she couldn't help but giggle at the memory...

_"Here comes the Whaleecopter!"_

_"You've GOT to be Rapoing kidding me."_

_"It's going through the tunnel!"_

_"I am perfectly capable of feeding myself, thank you very mu-!"_

_"Yay! It went though the tunnel unscathed! But oh no, here comes another!"_

_"...You piece of Baki dung."_

_"Into the tunnel we goooo!"_

"Either way..." Mari said to drown her giggles away, "It's no wonder you feel so dizzy... I know just the thing!" Without another word, she had headed into the kitchen, humming a tune to herself. Wilfre watched her leave, a little confused at first. Then he sighed, hoping she wouldn't attempt the same thing Jowee had.

It didn't take her very long to return, and at this point Wilfre's stomach was growling anxiously from the lack of nourishment it had faced; and the nice, appitizing scent that wafted around the room and into Wilfre's nose didn't help matters one bit.

"Ze skinny Rapos!" Mari cried out as she came back into the room, "Nothing but skin and bones! I have much work to do!" Wilfre had jumped at first, turning to see her before trying to hide his face to cover his laughter. Meanwhile, Mari simply sat next to him on the sofa, carrying a plate of food and utencils for him. She smiled a little with a laugh of her own.

"How was that?" she asked him normally.

It wasn't until Wilfre had calmed his laughter before he answered. "How was that?" he replied, even though he was still chuckling, "That was spot-on. I never believed you could pull off an impression like that!"

"It took me quite a while to get the accent right," she responded graciously before handing Wilfre the plate of food, "He's basically the reason why I can cook better than Dad ever could. While I was growing up, he was like a hero to me; and he never minded giving me lessons."

"I suppose it all pays off now," Wilfre said at first, taking the plate of food and utencils. After taking a good look at the food, his entire face lit up in joy, unable to say anything more as he started eating. Mari nodded a little before smiling more softly.

"I know it's night and it isn't appropriate," She began, watching him down the food in a matter of minutes, "But it's your favorite."

"Oh, I could eat this for every meal of every day and never get sick of it," Wilfre replied in between bites with a bright smile on his face, "Probably wouldn't be a suitable diet, but..."

Mari couldn't help but laugh at the possiblities. "You'd probably be fatter than Tubba or Bubba in a matter of months if you did that!" Afterwards, she patted his shoulder a little, continuing, "Though... Right now you could use a few pounds. You really kinda do look like skin and bones." Wilfre looked down a bit at himself, noticing how much weight he did lose by mostly how his clothes seemed a tad bigger than he remembered.

"Err..." he said a little before continuing to eat, "If you keep Jowee from forcefeeding me, I will. I absolutely refuse being forcefed by a Raposa about seven years younger than me."

"Oh, don't worry," Mari replied with a small chuckle again, "I'll make sure of that."

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><p>Jowee was the first one to scamper off of Turtlerock and into Lavasteam once they arrived the next morning. Though to his horror, the place appeared quite terrifying. Minecarts were rusted to the track with Shadow Goo, the lava was blackened as if it WAS Shadow Goo, and the worst bit was that Shadow creatures were everywhere. Not just Shadow Walkers or Bats, but Raposa as well. Mayor Rose hadn't lied about or sugarcoated anything, after all.<p>

Mari, Wilfre, Samuel and Zsasha soon joined him into the street, although Mari was sternly telling Zsasha about not sneaking off anywhere.

"Um..." Jowee started, completely terrified, "Maybe this wasn't a good idea... Maybe Galactic Jungle would be more promising?" He turned to head back onto Turtlerock but was grabbed by the back of his scarf by Wilfre.

"If we come back later, it'll only appear worse than it is now," he replied with a sigh. "Get a hold of yourself, alright? Mayor Miney and his brothers will appreciate it." Jowee whined a bit but came back anyway, immediately pulling out his acorn shooters for protection. From not too far away, Samuel was looking at what appeared to be a stray, sturdy length of pipe. With ease, he lifted it with his telekinesis, swinging it around a little for practice.

"Fine... I suppose it'd be dangerous to wander off in a place like this," Zsasha had said in reply to Mari, admitting defeat. "Even if I'm very sneaky..."

"Good then," Mari replied in relief, "I don't want you wandering off and possibly getting hurt, is all." Zsasha nodded again, while Samuel padded back to the group.

"This should hold better than that bag of stones..." he mused to himself, though loud enough for them to hear, bringing the pipe closer to his body now. "Where do we begin? Miney could be anywhere or anyone here..."

"If we free someone, we might get our answers," Wilfre replied, drawing his sword a little while Mari protected herself with throwing knives. Zsasha apparently didn't have anything, but somehow wasn't too worried. This concerned the others a little but he insisted it was alright. With that, they headed off into what had become of Lavasteam.

In their inconvinence, the Shadow Raposa seemed to just disappear, leaving them only with the Creatures. It seemed that the Shadow Raposa here were more intelligent and somehow could tell something had come to ruin their precious, perfect empire... So hours passed, with the group defeating any Creatures that came too near, but finding absolutely no Shadow Raposa whatsoever. By the hour, they began to get restless, going in circles, but finding no improvement.

Eventually they came to a bridge and crossed it, soon afterward pausing on their search. Even if it seemed like they had been deserted by the Shadow Raposa, they could feel them watching their every move, and it felt creepy. Especially to Jowee, whom just wanted to turn back but refrained from making it obvious again.

"This is getting us nowhere," Wilfre said with a sigh, "They know we're here... And they certainly aren't happy about being freed."

_Maybe we should leave!_Jowee thought in his head, opening his mouth to say it before shutting up, knowing it would be rejected. While the others decided to rest a little, Zsasha looked around his surroundings secretly, before seeing a spec of black in the shape of a Raposa.

"Over... There," he whispered, urging Wilfre to look in the same direction. Wilfre did, and sure enough, there was one. The Shadow Raposa was wandering around in the adjacent street, seeming confused by the lack of other Shadow Raposa.

"One all by him or herself?" Wilfre whispered back in confusion, "It could be a trap..."

Samuel looked to the Shadow Raposa, nodding in agreement. "Could be... Or could be our only chance." Wilfre nodded to this, knowing that maybe it would be worth the risk after all and standing up, sneaking toward the Shadow Raposa. The others hoped he would be careful to not scare the Shadow Raposa away, though believed it would be sucessful. The moment Wilfre had gotten close enough to the Shadow Raposa, he/she turned and faced him. He however wasted no time in raising his sword to attack.

"Don't worry," he calmly said, trying not to frighten the Shadow Raposa, "It'll only take a second, then you'll be free from that leech."

"Stop," he/she said sternly, sounding feminine so it was a she, "Or you'll be tranquilized, Gray-fur."

Wilfre shook his head, a determined expression on his face. "Oh no... I've been looking almost all day for one of you. Don't you see that if I free you, you won't be corrupted by these feelings any longer?"

"I said to stop," she said again, before beginning to pull out a sterile needle and a small jar of liquid, filling it to a certain measurement. "I won't warn you again." Wilfre saw her do this, fear beginning to reside inside of him from knowing she had been serious, but he couldn't back down. Letting out a small fighting yell, he rushed at her with the sword.

To his surprise, she nimbly dodged and avoided every slash and swipe he made, before rushing forward and disarming him entirely. The sword skidded and clattered away from his reach, but he quickly ran to go get it. The Shadow Raposa growled at this, chasing after him and not taking long before she managed to tightly grip onto his wrist. As if everything moved at lightning speed, she held the wrist still, pushing the needle into the vein and pouring the medicine into his bloodstream.

Wilfre had let out a yell of pain as he felt that, immediately trying to escape and wondering how she had been able to stab such a thing just in the right spot so quickly. As he continued to struggle, he was weakening, becoming dizzy and sleepy. "Let... Me... Go..." he managed to say, though quietly and weakly. While he weakened with each passing second, he could feel the Shadow Raposa's paw petting his head softly, as if trying to soothe him to sleep. Although he felt it wouldn't have mattered at this point it helped, and by the time the last of the medicine was in his bloodstream, everything went black for him.

When he awoke again, it felt like a slow, fragile process where even as he woke up, his brain felt asleep still, particularly his eyelids. He let out a soft groan as he struggled to awaken, finding that he was in an entirely different place than before. Not possibly lying in a street somewhere in Lavasteam, but a warm bunk. Once his eyes finally accepted his awakening, he examined his surroundings as well as he could, even though he wasn't awake enough to turn his head quite yet.

Rapo, that tranquilizer really put him out...

"Hey, sleepyhead," a voice to the right of him said softly. The person came closer to him so he could easily see who it was. It was a male, golden-furred Raposa who wore what appeared to be a standard Lavasteam outfit; minus a pickax, hard hat and apron. Though, what really set this gold-fur apart from most Raposa was how the fur on his head appeared. It was long, and spiked upward in thick pikes, as if it were hair. The person smiled down at him as softly as he had said those words before, adding, "You feeling alright? Probably not up to getting up and moving around yet, though!"

Wilfre wanted to reply but even as he opened his mouth, words failed to form in his mind; so instead he simply laid back again with a shut mouth, staring up at the gold-fur. The person chuckled lightly when he didn't respond, saying more, "Yeah, that tranquilizer is strong stuff. Dr. Cure says she has some strong enough to bring down a giant Baki! Only for emergancies, but it'd still be pretty cool to see her soothe such a large creature..."

"Dr. Cure...?" This time Wilfre was able to say this much, trying hard to awaken entirely but knew it would be a matter of time. The gold-fur nodded with a wider smile.

"Yes... Rapo, her medical knowledge is AMAZING!" he sounded more enthusiastic now, like a young Rapo, "She probably trained for YEARS to become as good as she is now! In fact, she's pretty nearby, I should call for her... She did tell me to get her when you woke up, so..." he chuckled a bit again, jogging out of the room before abruptly peeking his head back in again. "By the way, my name's Drew. Not my idea, but the Doctor knows best... Said I had Amnesia or something like that." At that last part, he was already heading down the hallway after exiting the room the second time.

While the Raposa was away, it gave Wilfre time to think, and to awaken completely. This Raposa, named Drew... He seemed a little familiar, but Wilfre just couldn't put his paw on how it was so; since they never apparently met before just now. Maybe it was the fur on his head; it was so odd and unusual for a Raposa (okay, maybe not; Wilfre realized he himself had no room to talk about having odd hair, as his grew like a female's), and his fur was a gold color. Moreover, his voice seemed a little familiar too; and the attitude portraying it as well.

Through it all, Wilfre could've sworn he'd met him before, but... Maybe he was just having an odd sense of deja vu and it meant nothing. Soon, he decided that was a better explaination; his mind still felt too mushy to think deeply on these things.

Another thought came to mind... Dr. Cure was alive, and around here? That seemed like a good thing, until with ease he put two and two together and realized SHE was the Shadow Raposa who tranquilized him.

With that, he promptly face-pawed at the realization.

_You Rapoing IDIOT!_


	16. 16 The Bittersweet Reunions

Gah! Forgot to add a little note here. Sorry about that; was going to add it in last night but FF was being odd. Anyway, new chapter and all.

Once again, thanks for reviewing and continuing to review. Dr. Cure gets more of an intro here!

All 'currupted' misspellings were fixed, btw. Thanks for telling me!

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><p>16. The Bittersweet Reunions<p>

"Say 'ahh'," Dr. Cure instructed curtly, flashing a light into Wilfre's mouth when he opened it. Without looking away, she added, "I didn't know when this day would come. The day Wilfre awoke at last..."

The other Raposa were in the room with the two, each sitting on bunks. Mari was sitting with Jowee, Zsasha and Samuel in another, while Drew sat on a third; alone. However, he didn't seem to mind this, grinning at the other Raposa. Samuel asked her, "What were you doing in Lavasteam?"

"And how did you FIND this place?" Jowee added enthusiastically, "It's the perfect safe house!"

Dr. Cure chuckled a bit from Jowee's remark, motioning for Wilfre to close his mouth but to turn his head a little to check his ears. "Well Samuel," she replied as she worked, "There was an outbreak of Rapuenza and they were short of doctors, so I took it upon myself to aid them. And Jowee," she paused, going to check the other ear, "I didn't. Key showed me it while the outbreak was the strongest; saying that whoever was the most sick had to stay here to prevent further spread. Err, but it's sanitized now, so you don't have to worry about getting it."

When the Raposa were tense from hearing about the outbreak, they quickly relaxed at the last part of the news. "Speaking of Key... How's he and Moe?" Mari asked, "Were they corrupted too?"

"I want you to breathe deeply, okay?" Dr. Cure instructed again, putting on her stethoscope meanwhile putting the other end against Wilfre's upper back. While he did so, she listened carefully to his breathing before replying to Mari, "No, it was just Mayor Miney. Though, as for his brothers... I don't think I'm the one that should tell you. If you need to know, you should ask Key himself. He knows more than me anyway."

"So that means Key is alright..." Mari replied, though still a bit sadly. "But where is he?"

This time, Dr. Cure pulled out a small pocketwatch with one paw while the other lightly pinched at one of Wilfre's wrists (not the one that was hit with the needle however). She didn't respond until she finished, going over to a cabnet and getting out something. "You haven't seen him yet? That's odd... He should be here in the safe house."

Drew got up from his bunk. "Should I go get him? He hasn't left his room almost all day..."

She nodded in reply, smiling a bit after shutting the cabnet with what she found. While Drew left the room, she couldn't help but chuckle lightly as she walked back to Wilfre, saying singsongly, "Time for blood pressure!" Wilfre couldn't help but sigh a bit in unease, but kept from complaining as she wrapped the cushion around the upper part of the same arm she felt his pulse before.

Jowee couldn't help but put a paw on his chin in thought. "Who IS Drew, anyway?" he had to ask, knowing that the others were probably thinking the same thing, "He seems really familiar somehow, but I don't know how..."

"I myself keep thinking it has to do with his fur," Wilfre replied while he allowed Dr. Cure to press down on the bulby end that began to fill the cushion with more and more pressure, "In fact I feel like I've s-SEEN him before, somehow..." By the time Dr. Cure had finished pressing, he could feel his arm pulsing and it had made him stutter briefly in his speech. Meanwhile the other Raposa nodded in agreement to that. "But what I don't understand is, he doesn't know any of us; and none of us seem to remember ever meeting him; or knowing w-WHERE he- Please stop that."

"Sorry, sorry..." Dr. Cure replied with a soft giggle before unwrapping the cushion and going to put the device away entirely, "From all I know, Drew has Amnesia. He doesn't remember anything about his life, who his friends and family are, where he came from, or even his own name. We had to call him something, so we agreed to call him 'Drew' until he remembers."

"Remember what?" Drew asked curiously as he padded back into the room, with another Raposa in tow. While the newcomer Raposa was ginger-furred, he had to get in by wheeling himself into the room, being in a wheelchair.

"Your life, Drew," Dr. Cure stated in a greeting manner, before glancing at the Raposa that had followed him in the room. "Hello Key. You remember Mari and Jowee, right?"

Key wheeled himself further into the room, nodding a bit from the question once he saw them. "But of course. I could recognize that odd attire and that lovely lady anywhere!"

Jowee couldn't help but glare a bit from Key's slightly flirtatious statement about Mari (well, in his opinion anyway), but tried to cover it up as he replied, "Odd? What're you talking about? What I wear is just fine!" Mari had looked away a little with a small blush, but couldn't stop herself from giggling from Jowee's response to what Key had said.

"It _is_ pretty unusual," Wilfre couldn't help but smirk teasingly.

"Says the one in the fanciest clothes," Jowee simply muttered with a pout, crossing his arms; although he knew that it wasn't a serious statement. Wilfre frowned a bit from defeat, but shrugged with another grin.

"Touché," he replied, then adding more to it though was still joking, "But there's nothing wrong with dressing nicely."

While they kept going at it, Dr. Cure had introduced Key to Samuel and Zsasha. Neither knew Key; as Samuel was portaled to Watersong while Zsasha in Galactic Jungle. Samuel was a bit curt while Zsasha was a little shy, but it didn't take long before the introductions finished on a good note. Soon, Key had wheeled himself over to Wilfre. "And who is this apparent gentleman?" Wilfre wasn't sure if he should've laughed or felt offended by what he had just said, but let it go once Dr. Cure replied to them both.

"This is Wilfre," she said, "He's going to help put our world back in order. Thanks to him, I hear Watersong had been restored to normal."

"Oh...?" Key replied with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "So he's like the Hero, then?"

"Well actually," Wilfre scratched the back of his head, wishing a little right now that it was all there was to it, "It's mainly because of what I did in the past, really. Trying to put the world in darkness, and stealing color... And using Salem as a disguise to-"

"YOU SON OF A-!" Key had suddenly blurted in rage, wanting to tackle Wilfre but couldn't from having to be in his wheelchair, so he instead reached his arms out viciously at him, "SO YOU'RE THE PILE OF BAKI DUNG WHO MADE MY BROTHER ENSLAVE US BEFORE!" Wilfre lept back in surprise and a bit of fear, having expected this sort of reaction but still was a bit frightened of it. Dr. Cure stepped in and pulled the wheelchair back so Key couldn't get at him.

"Yes I know and I apologize!" Wilfre tried to explain, though was beginning to shake a little at this point, "But this is WHY I'm going to make things right once and for all! I'm trying to fix things, honest...!" Drew had frowned deeply from this scene, tilting his head a little.

"Wilfre was Salem...?" he asked quietly. Wilfre bit his lip a little, his face in guilt. He wanted to reply, but Jowee got there first.

"Yeah, but it didn't make him or Sock any less real," he said, but not angrily, "But it also wasn't all because of Wilfre, either. It was Sly's idea..." Wilfre seemed to relax from Jowee's words, mostly due to him not being angry with him about it anymore.

"Sly..." Key spat, but calmed down at this point. "Because of that... That DEMON, Miney is corrupted badly." He looked away, feeling a little more sad than angry now. He soon began to choke up a bit as he continued more quietly, "Then Miney... He wanted us to join him. But when we refused, h-he tried to kill us for mutiny. Thanks to Dr. Cure I s-survived; but Moe... He never m-made it."

From the story, all of the Raposa in the room felt the same empathy from Key's loss, but Dr. Cure especially; from knowing that she had done her best to try to save them both, but failed. Wilfre sat back to normal, frowning in empathy before getting up, causiously padding toward Key. "Like I said," he replied in a softer tone, "I'm here to make things right again; to get rid of Sly once and for all... By first freeing these villages from his control and thus, making him weaker."

"It won't be easy, I'll tell you that right now," Key managed to reply, looking up at Wilfre with eyes that were beginning to tear up, "Miney won't show any mercy. He won't listen to reason... He'll KILL you if you give him the chance. Believe me, we've tried... Only to be proven that it was unwise." At this, Wilfre gave a soft, assuring grin before backing up a pace and motioning at his sheathed sword.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not going after him unarmed," he said in response. "Now if you could, tell me where he is so I can free him. Once I do, this village will be restored, and you won't have to live down here any longer."

"If I must..." Key sighed a bit in reply, "Just don't even think about going on your own."

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><p>"Here it is..." Dr. Cure stated before pulling to a stop, now of course wearing her Shadow Raposa disguise once more. Wilfre, Samuel and Drew (each in their own disguises) had followed her, before each stopped with her to find they were at the main entrance of the mines of Lavasteam. "He's deep in those mines, so you should be carefu- Er, I mean... You better have important business with him." Even while she had to reword her sentence, the others nodded in response, knowing what she really meant.<p>

"Don't worry, it is important," Samuel replied, disguising his voice a little to make it sound more like the Shadow that once corrupted him, "We won't have trouble finding him."

Dr. Cure nodded, turning to Drew. "Especially you, Drew," she stated simply, her tone becoming more serious, "You're new to th- You're a new recruit, so don't get on his bad side." Drew looked away, a bit embarrassed before nodding.

"I won't, I won't...!" was his reply. Finally, she turned to Wilfre, shifting her eyes a little before stepping toward him a pace or two.

"And whatever you do, stop Wilfre at all costs," she instructed, hoping he most of all would get her hidden message, "He's a pile of Raposa dung, BACKstabbing the S.H.A.D.O.W.'s empire." To her relief, Wilfre nodded to let her know he understood. She began to back up a little, but was still near them. Afterwards, she continued, "When you're done, I'll be waiting here so you can fill me in on his orders."

Meanwhile, the others nodded one more time, before each started padding into the entrance. Wilfre didn't enter right away, however. He looked at Dr. Cure one more time, and while disguising his own voice, said "We won't be long," before heading inside himself.

Lights from the ceiling dimly lit the mine cave as the three padded deeper and deeper, until eventually they couldn't see the entrance anymore. They heard their paws pad against the dirt as they walked along, each step echoing throughout the cave. Even with the lights in the cave, it was still hard to see. On top of all of this, there were also no Shadow Creatures in sight whatsoever. The mines seemed quite abandoned; and it would've been if it weren't for one resident.

While each of the three were deep in their own thoughts, Drew's was especially strong. Every so often he would glance at Wilfre, Samuel, and even sometimes Wilfre's sword. Although he really couldn't remember much of anything (if at all), for some reason the sword seemed very familiar to him. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of that; maybe it was something from his past...

After a little while, the path split in half. The three stopped at the split, each thinking about which way to go. "Should we split up?" Drew couldn't help but ask, looking at the right half. Wilfre was first to answer, shaking his head at the gold-fur a little.

"No," he replied, "If we do, one of us would be alone. It's not that I'm questioning your abilities; it's just that Miney is said to be dangerous... So we should stick together."

"Alright, I can't argue with that," Drew nodded a bit, scratching his head a little now, "So... Which way? One of the paths has the mine track, but the other doesn't..." The other two looked and Drew had been right. Samuel put a paw on his chin, thinking for a little while before saying,

"The mine track probably leads deeper into the mines, where Miney is likely to be," he said toward them both, "The left path should be the way to go. The right path however seems more like it'll lead to a dead end."

"Very true," Wilfre nodded at that, before starting to head down the left path, "Left it is, then." Samuel and Drew followed after him without hesitation, though each wondered what would lay ahead.

While they went down the path, a slope began and soon enough sharply ended as a cliff. However the track didn't go down into the gorge, but rather made a small bridge to reach the other side of the abyss. Near the edge, all three of them paused, before Samuel and Wilfre immediately started to cross using the track. Meanwhile, Drew bent down near the cliff, looking down into the abyss. It was too deep to see much of anything, so he shifted his gaze to the bridge.

Then he noticed something odd on the supportive beams of the track. A good amount of the beams had deep cracks, as if even the weight of a feather would cause them to crumble. He suddenly stood up again, gasping out a little in hopes of getting their attention.

"Wilfre! Samuel!" he called to them, "Don't take anoth-"

He was heard too late, as Wilfre had indeed taken another step before he and Samuel had turned to look at Drew. He opened his mouth to ask something but the beams supporting the track splintered, the beams' fall taking the wooden part of the mine track with them. The other beams came apart as well, and it caused the two Raposa on the bridge to fall into the abyss below; their surprised yells of fear being the last thing Drew could hear of them as it echoed through the cave.

Drew couldn't help but step back in surprise of this, before a small glare came upon his face, rushing forward and jumping down into the abyss with them. Somehow though, the fall didn't frighten him one bit.

It excited him.


	17. 17 Pit of Illusions

Okay guys, sorry that the update was a little late (well, for usual updates). For some reason it is getting a little harder to write this story. As far as I'm concerned, their time in Lavasteam will end up being in a much slower pace than Watersong's did. I'm actually kinda hoping Galactic Jungle won't be longer...

Thanks for each review. Heh, I did make it too obvious about Drew; but that was also intentional. Problem is, the characters won't know for a while.

Reading chapters, like a boss!

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><p>17. Pit of Illusions<p>

It took Samuel all of his concentration to look upward at the rapidly fading away tracks that remained, throwing a paw forward and pulling it back down in a fist. This caused the metal part of the track to suddenly come closer to him, soonly close enough that he gripped it tightly. While it stopped his fall, he looked downward, noticing Wilfre still fading into the dark abyss. Using his other, free paw, Samuel threw that down toward him, clenching that into a tight fist and dragging it back upward.

To Wilfre's surprise, he ceased falling, feeling like something was gripping the back of his shirt as he seemed to float back up. He blinked in confusion, but relaxed when he looked upward and saw Samuel's paw reaching for him. Eagerly he reached his own paw towards Samuel's until they connected. Right afterward, he found himself sighing in relief, though couldn't help but still be a bit shaken from the fall they could've endured.

Wilfre opened his mouth to speak his gratitude, only to shut it when he saw Drew falling toward them, lifting his free paw to grab onto Drew's, only for them to slip. Instead, Drew managed to use both of his own arms to cling onto Wilfre's leg. The suddenly added weight shook the metal part of the track that Samuel held onto, his grip beginning to slip before he gripped tighter to sustain themselves. He could feel the grip beginning to lose hold, even when he began to use his claws in a vain attempt to avoid falling into that seemingly endless void of a pit.

"If either of you have any new ideas, speak them NOW," Samuel grunted as he continued to hold off what could be the inevitable. "As you can probably guess, I can't hold onto this forever."

Wilfre looked back up toward Samuel, noticing just how right he'd been, gulping just a little at first before speaking. "We need to climb back onto the cliff and go the other way. Miney obviously laid a trap for us here..." he paused with a sigh, looking down at Drew now; who was still clinging madly to his leg, "Though it leads me to question Drew's decision to LEAP after us like that! Even someone with Amnesia should know that jumping into a deep, dark pit is dangerous; if not plain stupid!"

Drew blinked from the words, before his ears drooped in a bit of shame. "I felt something..." was all he muttered while Wilfre rolled his eyes.

"You could've gotten yourself KILLED if you didn't manage to grab my leg," he replied sternly, "Memories or no memories, it's not a good idea t-"

"Could you PLEASE save the lecture for when we're not in PERIL?" Samuel interrupted in stressed irritation, grunting more from all the effort he was making just to keep the three suspended where they were. This caught Wilfre by surprise, his own ears drooping in a bit of embarrassment. After a few moments, Samuel seemed to relax again as he continued, "Now, I didn't hear what Drew said. Please repeat it."

"I uh..." Drew stammered a bit, glancing down into the pit again before a jolt of something ran through his body. "I felt something. When I leapt with you two, I... Well... I don't know how to put what I felt."

"Try your best," was Samuel's reply, even when Wilfre was having many doubletakes, wondering what any of this had to do with getting back onto safe ground.

"Okay," Drew nodded a little, thinking it over for a bit longer before continuing, "It was like a strong, exciting feeling going through your entire body; but at the same time it's just as terrifying and it's... It's source. Creator, it's source has this... This very deep, EVIL aura all around it that spreads so far, far enough I can feel that. And through ALL of that... It also feels so familiar, even if I don't know why."

From the explaination, Wilfre's eyes had widened. He recalled feeling something very similar to that before; back at the Raposa village when Sly showed up. With this in mind, his own ears drooped even more from it all, eying the pit carefully before asking, though a bit quietly, "This feeling... Is it coming from the pit...?"

Drew nodded, though clung to Wilfre's leg more at the thought. "It has to be... It wasn't as strong as this until I jumped. It's like... Something, or someONE is down there; it's very strong, and very evil..." At this point, the three could feel a small, cold draft whisking from the pit and going where they had padded before. Drew stared down into the pit more, really studying it for a while before finally looking up at Samuel, a serious look on his face.

"Let go," he said.

Samuel and Wilfre both gasped from the words, Samuel becoming confused and Wilfre in shock. "Have you gone INSANE, Drew?" Wilfre exclaimed, "We don't know what's down there! Let alone how DEEP this pit is!"

Drew couldn't help but laugh a little, shaking his head. "I promise it'll be safe," he replied with a soft grin, "Look, I'll prove it." With that, Drew suddenly let go of Wilfre's leg, falling into the pit once more. Samuel and Wilfre stared down in shock of this, both yelling out to him in what was most likely pained agony. While it did allow Samuel an easier grip on the metal part of the track, Wilfre soon enough looked up at Samuel in desperation.

"You've GOT to bring him back!" he said to him, glancing down at the pit once again. "Even if he's lost his Rapoing mind..."

"Even if you moved and clung to my leg instead," Samuel sighed sadly in response, "He's too far down now that I can't reach for him. My telekinesis radius only goes so far..." After a few more moments, they suddenly heard Drew's quiet laughter from the pit, though it sounded quite close. It caused them both to be quite surprised, hearing his voice echo throughout the pit and the cave.

"Come on you guys! I promised it was safe!"

"You're alright?" Samuel replied as he and Wilfre looked toward the source of the voice. "But we can't see you..."

"But I can see you!" Drew replied, laughing a little again. "And you both look pretty silly..."

"Wait, I have another idea," Wilfre said with a small glimmer of hope as he thought about it, "Guide me down there so we can see how far down this really goes, Samuel. If I do end up going out of your radius, I'm sure Drew could catch me." Samuel blinked a bit as he planned it out in his mind, before forcing Wilfre's paw out of his own and thus freeing it; but also proceeding to keep him afloat before he would've fallen. Afterwards, he slowly eased his paw lower and lower, which caused Wilfre to sink slowly into the pit. Wilfre turned toward the pit entirely at this point, searching for any sign of ground or even the golden-furred Raposa.

It wasn't long before the black darkness seemed to literally fade away, being replaced by safe ground close by, along with a smiling Drew who waved at him with a chuckle. Wilfre blinked in amazement that it really HADN'T been very deep after all; though it was still possible to land and break a bone if they had landed from a higher height. Afterwards, he couldn't help but smile a bit with a small wave of his own. Along the wall of the pit, there was also a hallway, covered in Shadow Goo however. This must've been what Drew was talking about - Miney couldn't be too far from here!

Drew came up to him as he got closer, and it was a good thing too as after a certain point Wilfre suddenly started falling the rest of the distance. From the sudden speed, Wilfre couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp. Instead of hitting the ground however, he was swiftly caught by Drew, who held him bridal style for a moment before setting him down. Wilfre allowed him to do this, before dusting his clothes off a little embarrassedly, even if he hadn't gotten dirty or anything.

"Thank you, Drew," he murmured a little once he finished, "And er... I apologize about what I said before; about you being insane." Drew only waved a paw at him a little with a chuckle.

"Nah, it's fine," he replied, before looking upwards again. "Now we need to get Samuel down here, too..."

Wilfre nodded to that, looking upwards as well and to his surprise, he DID see Samuel clear as day, still holding onto the metal part of the mine track. It was odd, since from above the pit appeared bottomless and black; but from below it couldn't have been more than seven feet deep. While he continued to think, he noticed Samuel looking down at them, though couldn't really see them due to the bottomless illusion.

"Wilfre, are you alright?" he asked, now using both paws to hold onto the metal part of the mine track. He seemed pretty uneasy about jumping down, but no Raposa could truly blame him for feeling so.

"Yes, I'm fine," Wilfre replied, louder this time and hearing his voice echo throughout the cave, "Trust me when I say this; the pit is not nearly as deep as it looks. It's an illusion to make it look black and bottomless. If I had to guess, it'd be about seven or even eight feet down." With this, Samuel glanced around the pit itself curiously, but couldn't find any flaw that it was what Wilfre had said it was. Finally, he sighed, a little warily.

"I suppose one of you wouldn't mind catching me, right?"

Drew grinned with a nod, before remembering Samuel wouldn't be able to see either of those actions. "Of course not!" he replied instead. "In fact, actually... How about you catch him, Wilfre?" In response, Wilfre looked to Drew in confusion, before nodding a little while scratching the back of his head.

"Very well..." he said as he did this, "I can't promise that I'll still be standing upright, though..." Drew only chuckled a bit, backing up so Wilfre alone was near the center of the pit. Meanwhile, Wilfre gazed up at Samuel, preparing himself to catch him when he fell. "I'm ready when you are, Samuel!" he called, meaning every word.

Samuel seemed to shut his eyes tight, taking a deep breath before he finally let go of the metal part of the mine track. Almost immediately he wanted to grasp it again once he began his quick desent, before realizing he wouldn't be able to. Even if he trusted Wilfre to catch him, he couldn't bare to look while he fell. However, before long he felt his body suddenly colliding with another, which stopped the fall for a short while; only to continue for another second or two as said body couldn't take the gravitational force.

That is to say, Samuel was caught by Wilfre; only for Wilfre to quickly collaspe to the ground under Samuel's rate of fall.

Once Samuel opened his eyes again and found his senses, he let out a small gasp, getting off of Wilfre quickly to help him up. "Sorry... You alright?" he murmured, pulling out a paw for Wilfre to grab. Wilfre, though was a bit dazed from what just happened before, simply shrugged it off with a nod; but rose his own paw into Samuel's and getting onto his feet again.

While Wilfre brushed himself off again (this time legitimately), Samuel looked around the pit a little, before not taking too long in finding the hall that was covered in Shadow Goo. Gazing upon it for a moment, he turned toward Drew. "Do you think Miney is in that hall?" Drew frowned a little at he looked at it in turn, but had to nod in reply. Meanwhile, Wilfre had finished, before approaching the hall and drawing his sword; then wasting no time in slicing it against the Shadow Goo, which caused it to disappear. While Samuel wasn't surprised at the sight of this, Drew's eyes had widened at the sight of the sword itself.

_Where have I seen that before...?_ he briefly thought as Wilfre peered into the hall, before entering entirely along with Samuel. Drew went to follow inside, before Wilfre turned to face him, looking quite serious in expression.

"I advise you to stay back and keep safe," he warned, "Like before, it's not because I doubt your abilites; it's because Shadow Raposa are very dangerous to deal with." He paused a bit, unable to help adding afterwards, "I should know; I used to be one myself."

Drew understood this with a small nod, before tilting his head in confusion. "What about Samuel, though?"

"I, too, was corrupted by those things," Samuel answered this time, in a calm yet a bit discusted tone of voice, "Plus, so far I've been able to handle myself around them. Well, excluding the bout with Sly but only because he's much more powerful than I could guess." At that last part, Drew gasped in excitement, though kept it quiet and quickly covered his mouth with his paws.

"You've actually...?" he breathed in glee, though muffled from his paws still over his lips, "Did you... Um... Win?"

Samuel, as well as Wilfre, was surprised by the question. Drew had asked it as if it was some kind of game, or anything much more light hearted than a duel that could've easily cost Samuel's life. He suddenly felt even more thankful for Mari intervening when she had, otherwise he probably would've become one of Sly's little Shadow pawns. Finally, after a long while of thinking, he replied, a bit more quietly, "...No."

Although Drew was admitedly disappointed, he soon found that it was also understandable; from what he heard so far, Sly was a very powerful Shadow Being, and even grew stronger by the day. Thinking about it further, he also noted that Samuel most likely did his very best and gave his all in the end, even if it didn't end favorably. To show he understood, he replied with a soft smile. "I bet it wasn't easy..."

Wilfre faced forward once more while the two conversed, hearing Samuel reach into his robe to pull out the length of pipe he found earlier on. He quickly realized that if Dr. Cure and Key were right about Miney being so dangerous, he would need all the help he could get. Soon, they began to wordlessly trek into the hall, which was much longer than it had seemed before. On top of this, as they dwelled deeper and deeper, the hall would become smaller in size, until eventually each of the three had to follow one another in a single-file line. Even then, their pawsteps echoed endlessly around them, while the hall just kept getting...

Samuel couldn't help but grip his pipe tightly, noticing the closeness between the Raposa in front and behind him, as well as the walls feeling like they were closing in on him. "Please tell me something opens up soon," he whispered out in an oddly nervous tone, but didn't want to add more to it. Wilfre and Drew both stopped to look at him.

"Err... I don't think it will anytime soon," Wilfre replied honestly, though couldn't help but look a bit wary about saying so, "In fact it seems like it'll keep shrinking. Though, if it's really that bad for you, I don't think Drew would mind backtracking so you could wait at the pit..." At this, Samuel wanted to do that badly but forced himself to shake his head.

"No, that'd be troubling for both of you..." he managed to say at first, beginning to notice just how... Close everything was around him. It was even making it seem like it was more difficult to breathe. "Besides, you both might need me to aid you when you face Miney. I can't go back now just from some... Silly fear."

"Silly fear?" Drew ended up blurting out, "Why didn't you say something sooner, Samuel? It's not like we'd ever make you deal with something you don't want to!"

"Exactly," Wilfre replied, putting a paw over his chest and looking Samuel in the eyes as he continued, "We're your friends, Samuel. If you want to go back, there is absolutely nothing preventing us from allowing you to. I would prefer it if you were comfortable and safe where you want to be, rather than forcing you into a situation you'd rather not be in. I promise you, none of us will think badly of you for it."

Samuel was silent for a while, thinking it over and considering the pros and cons. For this length of time, he was deep in his thoughts, before he finally came to a small conclusion. The words he had listened to just now somehow made the fear that was dwelling from within him fade, though only a little. Yet, it seemed enough to calm him down. In reply to Wilfre, he shook his head, even nudging the pipe against his torso a little. Soon afterwards, he found himself gaining the smallest of grins as he replied, "...I wish to come with you two."


	18. 18 Power Caused Madness

This day only happens once every four years. Thus, a new chapter is posted today to celebrate.

By the way, the Raposa mentioned in the chapter are actually named these in Lavasteam.

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><p>18. Power Caused Madness<p>

"Yes, my prey... Come closer to me; like the insignificant, mindless Raposa you are. That's right, I can sense those terrible disguises you adorned yourselves. Join me or die, that is your choice."

A deranged laugh followed after the small speech, which quickly echoed around the room and into the sole hallway that snaked back to the pit. But the person making this laugh didn't care if he was heard; in fact it was what he hoped for.

From in an underground room, sat a Shadow Raposa in a king's throne, idly drinking a deep red liquid from a wine glass. Not too far from his throne were three Shadow Raposa, each in a different corner of the room. The one closest to the hall heard footsteps beginning to echo into the room.

"My Lord," whispered the Shadow Raposa in an eerie voice, "Your prey is almost here. Any preference on doing away with them?"

The Lord swallowed a mouthful of the liquid before speaking once more. "No doing away with as of yet. Even if their disguises are completely insulting to the S.H.A.D.O.W.'s empire, we simply can't just turn away possible recruits. But if they refuse... Let them become your test dummies." While the three Shadow Raposa nodded in response to that, the Lord let out another sickening chuckle. "Make it entertaining, though. I want to see some bloodspill this time."

"Of course, my Lord," was their reply before going back to their assigned areas. They waited a while longer, the doorman Shadow Raposa beginning to tense from how much longer they had to wait, while the Lord casually sipped more of his drink. Before long, one of the Raposa was visible in the path, and the doorman began to panic when he saw how close the first Raposa was getting. Quickly, he turned to the Lord, almost in a panic. "I... I think it might be Wilfre, my Lord!"

"You're seeing Raposa dung Russet," another one of the Shadow Raposa huffed with rolled eyes, coming over and smacking the first. "Don't scare us like that. Everyone KNOWS that the others are on the lookout for him. Probably tearing him apart as we speak!"

Russet flinched from being smacked, snarling a little and pointing to the hallway. "Oh yeah, Melon? Do you wanna bet your next glass of Baki blood that it's NOT Wilfre?" Melon hissed at this remark, stamping her foot a little in her anger.

"FINE," she replied at last, "But if it's Wilfre, he's MINE."

The Lord at this point was getting enraged by his minions arguing with one another, angrily throwing his wine glass toward them. The glass shattered literally a few pawsteps from them and it caused both Russet and Melon to flinch in fear, before looking up at the Lord.

"Stop your Rapoing bickering at once!" he exclaimed while he grabbed their attention. "What're you, tiny Rapos? SLY sometimes I feel like I'm leading incompetant fools!" Both bowed their heads in shame, staring down at the shattered wine glass, along with the bit of the red liquid that had still remained in it. Such precious Baki blood gone to waste... Even if it was on the dirt ground, they couldn't help but lick their lips slightly at the sight.

"Mick," The Lord said once more when he calmed down some, looking towards the third Shadow Raposa, "Get me another glass, and this time fill it UP." Mick jumped when he was ordered, before nodding and running off somewhere else. By the time he had disappeared, the Raposa in question had entered the room, along with two others. The Lord immediately chuckled lowly from where he sat, glaring at them.

"Greetings, Raposa," he spoke curtly, adjusting himself in his throne, gazing upon them with the image of turning all three of them into Shadow Raposa, "Those disguises are terrible, by the way. You can't fool Lord Miney..."

The Raposa in front, as well as the other two, were completely shocked to find this out. However, it didn't take them long afterward to face the music and take off the disguises. From beneath the disguises was a gray-fur, a robed ginger-fur, and a gold-fur Raposa. "Well then..." the gray-fur was the one who replied as they did so, "It wasn't like we were going to wear them for long."

"What brings three lowblooded Raposa to my powerful motopolis?" Lord Miney waved his paw at them in slight disgust as he said this, before continuing, "Hopefully it's to come to your mindless senses and become even halfway decent as one of my minions..."

"No," This time, the robed Raposa of the group answered, with a small, offended glare, "We're here to fulfill the prophecy, by taking the villages from Sly's empire."

Lord Miney laughed a little from this, by this time snatching the wine glass from Mick when he had come back with it, originally lain on a silver platter. "Oh, you mean death. Don't worry, no one will even recognize your pathetically weak bodies by the time my loyal subjects are through... Afterwhich, will happily throw those bodies into one of our many wonderful rivers of Shadow Lava."

The gold-furred Raposa gaped in fear of those words. Key really hadn't lied when he said how Miney was! "That's not what Samuel said at all!" he couldn't help but blurt out. "And that sounds like a terrible thing to do to people when they hadn't done anything to you..." While he had said this, the gray-fur couldn't help but scratch the back of his head in a bit of embarrassment.

"Then you may die first," Lord Miney said with a calm smile, taking a sip of his new glass of Baki blood, "Russet, if you please. Kill that odd-haired goldie." Russet turned toward the gold-fur, suddenly letting out a snicker of delight.

"Thank you, my Lord..." he replied as he began to approach, "I'll be sure not to disappoint you this time..." Almost immediately the gray-fur attempted to intercept Russet, holding his sword steady while Samuel allowed his length of pipe to float in the air from a bit more afar.

"You leave Drew out of this!" yelled out the gray-fur. "If ANYONE has to be fought, it's going to be me."

In response, Russet wanted to back off but forced himself instead to growl angrily at the gray-furred Raposa in his way. Unsheathing his unnaturally long, Shadow Gooed claws, he gripped onto his shoulder, beginning to shove him away. "Oh, don't worry, you worthless pile of Raposa dung," he snarled rudely as he did so, "You'll all get your chance to die horribly and with lack of dignity; just as deserved. So, I suggest you and that robed weirdo over there have a seat and watch as I tear this fool apart."

But the gray-fur refused to back down, lightly pressing his sword against Russet's shadowed chest and motioning for Drew to back up; which he did with ease. "If you harm even a single HAIR, I will NOT hold back."

"Wow, someone's sure eager to die!" Russet snickered, pushing the blade off of his chest, even if it made the Shadow Goo hiss violently. "My Lord, do I have permission to slaughter this idiot instead?"

Lord Miney considered this as he watched it all unfold, before he gruffly nodded. "Very well... After all, there's one for each of you. Kill the gray one." In response, Russet laughed from the change of plans, giving himself a little space and showing a battle stance.

"Bring it on, you ponytailed freak," he said in a whisper, while grinning wickedly. The gray-fur, on the other paw, suddenly had a look of unadulterated rage; his furless face reddening from it all as his paws became pale from gripping his sword so tightly.

"FREAK?" he yelled out in fury, the sword beginning to shake from his anger, "How DARE you!" With that, the gray-fur couldn't hold back and attempted to attack by slicing his sword violently against Russet while letting out an angered battle cry; however Russet only laughed as he dodged the furious swipes, as if he almost expected this to happen. Almost immediately he struck in return, slashing his claws across the gray-fur's face, leaving deep enough gashes to allow blood to leak out.

"Quit your bawling..." he smirked while the gray-furred Raposa flinched in pain. "It's not like it's going to matter in a few minutes. Soon you'll be dead, with your body in uncountable pieces, then burned into ashes in our Shadow Lava." While saying this, he approached the ponytailed Raposa again, slashing this time at his torso while he was still processing the earlier gashes. "But hey, keep being that angry and soon you won't have any more blood! Makes the job easier for me!"

The Raposa was cringing from how quickly the wounds kept coming, before realizing it and proceeding with defending himself. Before Russet could hit him the third time, the claws instead clanged against his sword. Once again, the Shadow Goo enchancing Russet's claws began to hiss and burn. "You smug little... If you weren't a Raposa underneath that Shadow Goo, I would completely maim you for saying such things!"

Russet pulled away, snorting in laughter. "Who do you think you are; Wilfre?"

The Raposa huffed, lifting his sword again. "As a matter of fact," he replied, before swiftly bringing his sword down upon the middle of Russet's front and raising his voice, "YES! My name is Wilfre!" The Shadow Goo controlling Russet let out a loud shriek before lifting off the red-orange Raposa underneath, soon enough fading away. The now released Russet wobbled a little before falling on his knees, and almost hit the floor if not for Wilfre breaking the fall for him, even if he was still a little enraged. Panting a bit, he whispered out, "I'll forgive you for calling me that just this once..."

The other two Shadow Raposa, along with Lord Miney, were shocked at this sight; seeing Russet uncorrupted so easily and by none other than Wilfre himself. Melon however soon shook this off, smirking deeply as thoughts of ripping off the ponytailed Raposa's head clean off his shoulders and mounting it on a wall near a fireplace came into her even more corrupted mind. Meanwhile, Wilfre turned Russet over to Drew. "Take him to safety, and please stay there with him." Drew nodded from Wilfre's words, picking Russet up and sprinting into the hallway without a second thought.

"Wilfre..." Lord Miney spat in a grim tone, "So you're the one who made it possible in the first place... But now, instead of helping us lead the new world order, you go against your creation like some heartless commoner. Have you no shame?" Wilfre blinked up at him, before glaring once more.

"The only thing I'm ashamed of is the fact I did it in the first place," he replied, by now loosening his grip on the sword so that his paws would stop feeling cold from the lack of circulation before. "I'm finally doing what is right and erasing the atrocity once and for all."

Melon sneered, pulling out her own weapon; an oversized axe. "My Lord... I really wish to shut this thing's trap 'once and for all'. May I?"

"Since Russet failed miserably, I don't see why not," Lord Miney sighed in reply, leaning his head on his free paw as the elbow rested against the armrest of the throne. "Don't disappoint me as much as he did. And Mick," he paused a bit and looked at him, rather boredly, "Make yourself useful for ONCE and deal with the robed weirdo? The last thing we need is more interference."

"What? Why me?" Mick couldn't help but ask fearfully as he began to shake, though watching as Melon eagerly approached Wilfre to 'deal' with him. "But I... I've never fought anyone! You know how better I am at giving refreshments! And besides; hekindofscaresme..."

Samuel heard that last remark and frowned a bit in confusion. He honestly wasn't sure how he could be considered 'scary'. Sure, he was adept to the use of Telekinesis, but he wasn't in the most harmful or unfair of ways. Trying to overcome his puzzlement, he turned a bit to watch over the fight that ensued between Melon and Wilfre, hoping he wouldn't have to interfere but was more than ready to if needed.

"Don't be such a scaredy Raposa!" Lord Miney replied more loudly at Mick, unable to focus on Melon and Wilfre's combat, which was actually pretty loud and violent. "There was a REASON why I gave you a weapon. To FIGHT things!"

"Please, my Lord...!" Mick shivered in answer, beginning to stutter at this point, "I don't mean to make you angry. I just don't think a shovel is an effective weapon against a Raposa knowing Telekinesis!"

"And what do you think _I_ should do about it?" Lord Miney argued, getting angrier by the moment, "Nothing, aside from watching you prove your fighting ability and cause the robed one's bloodbath!"

Eventually though, they suddenly stopped their argument as Melon fell to the ground, while the Shadow Goo melted off of her and disappeared. Samuel had come up alongside Wilfre, while he told him to take Melon to safety like he had done with Drew before. With a slightly hesitant nod, Samuel lifted up Melon's unconsious body and carried her quickly into the hall. At this point, Wilfre had a fair amount of wounds and gashes, particularly a large wound on one of his shoulders that he couldn't help but cling to tightly with gritted teeth; and was panting quite heavily from how much energy it took to fight someone like Melon in the first place.

Lord Miney suddenly let out a yell and slammed a fist on the armrest, glaring daggers at Mick. "YOU COWARDLY LITTLE..." he started in a screaming rage, "YOU MADE ME MISS THEIR FIGHT!" Mick had to duck as Lord Miney threw the second wine glass at his head, it shattering not too far behind him. "If you're so Rapoing cowardly, then it must be a relief to know you WON'T have to face that traitor after all."

At first Mick was in fact relieved to hear this, his white eyes shining brightly. "R-Really?"

"Really..." Lord Miney said with a snicker, getting out a pickaxe from the side of his throne, "Because you are going to make me a stronger leader." Mick was confused about what Lord Miney meant by that, but shrank up in fear when he'd brought out the pickaxe. Before he could try to run, Miney suddenly hit the sharp pick against his head, which caused him to let out a pained scream. Wilfre recovered a bit but in surprise as he watched what happened next unfold; his eyes shutting various times and cringing from it all.

Standing up on the throne chair now, Lord Miney proceeded to slice and stab the Shadow Goo around the Raposa bit by bit, before it forcably shed off entirely. The Shadow Goo that would've briefly hung in the air and disappear was then suddenly absorbed into Miney's own, which made him seem bigger in size than before; and more powerful. Meanwhile, the body of Mick fell backward until he hit the ground, his black fur matted with blood and wounds but luckily alive, yet unconscious. Looking upon the sight, Lord Miney let out a deranged laugh like earlier, but louder this time, turning to Wilfre with a manic grin.

"You're next..."


	19. 19 Useful Healing Serum

I'm not sure if one of the reviews was a joke or if it was for serious, because of the one that comes right after it. Um, either way; to answer your question, maybe my mind is messed up, especially considering what I wrote for this chapter...

I'm not offended, though. Just... Surprised. But either way, thank you for reviewing anyway, all of you.

_Update: I reread the reviews. Disregard most of my confusion. No need to apologize; it was probably just some random troll, who knows. I understand how you feel as well._

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><p>19. Useful Healing Serum<p>

Dr. Cure continued to stand nearby the entrance of the mines where Miney was said to be found, sighing heavily from how much time had passed since letting Wilfre, Samuel and Drew inside. It probably had been at least two hours now, with no sign of them coming back quite yet. Even if she understood their situation (either it's a tough fight or they got lost) and she did trust them to be safe, she couldn't help but feel like she should've gone in with them. With the way Miney is at this time, her healing skills would be pretty useful...

She kept on thinking, before reaching a paw into one of her pockets, where it contained lidded sterile needles. Her other paw then reached into her other pocket, feeling various bottles of injectable liquids. She felt for one in particular, pulling it out and looking it over. Afterwards, a small smile crept on her face as she remembered something.

_"You pick up health pieces to heal your wounds? Weird... We use traditional bandages."_

Not much longer after her and the Hero had this chat, he came back to her with a health piece, saying that she would be able to study how it works. She quickly accepted the gift, going on to study it right away; afterwhich eventually using it to create a liquid that would use the healing functions on the Raposa injected with it. Of course it was true that it seemed much more efficient than traditional bandages, she soon decided that since she could only make so much of the serum at one time, it would be best to use it only on those who were greatly injured and needed it to survive. Someone with a papercut compared to someone bleeding from the throat...

She soon put the bottle back in her pocket, looking into the entrance again, thinking about going in to find where they were. Best case she would run into them with a non corrupted Miney in tow, but worst case... She'd rather not think about that. Finally, with a deep breath, she turned and entered the cave, hearing her pawsteps hit the dirt and echo around the walls. In fact she walked in a faster pace than the three who entered before her; her heart beginning to fill with worry.

She really shouldn't have let them go in without her...

It didn't take her long before she arrived at the spliting pathways, looking at the left path and then the right. The left had the mine track which had followed with her up until this point, while the right did not. Stepping closer, she listened carefully with one ear per path. Dead silence greeted her right while she heard a tiny bit of something on the left. Looking toward the left, she suddenly froze when she felt a burst of wind blast by her. Yet, she immediately started off on the left path but now in a sprint; and soon enough she came to the cliff with the minetrack bridge. Although, the minetrack path appeared as if a part of it collasped into a seemingly endless abyss below. She paused at the cliff, looking down into the pit, listening for sounds... Anything at all.

Soon, she did hear some kind of noise - a voice. It sounded like it could've been Samuel but she couldn't be sure, since she couldn't hear the voice clearly enough. Instead, she decided to call out to the voice, hoping it wasn't a trap.

"Hello...?" Thankfully it hadn't been a trap after all, as soon enough the voice from below replied to her, much more clearly now.

"Dr. Cure...? Is that you up there?" It had been Samuel after all. Sighing in relief, Dr. Cure searched for him in the pit, but couldn't see a thing from how high up she was. "You have a very good sense of timing... I don't suppose you could come down here to help these freed Raposa? There's nothing here to use as bandages..."

"Down THERE?" she replied with a raised eyebrow. "You sound close, but I can't see you, or anyone else... How deep is this pit?"

This time, a different voice answered. "About seven or eight feet... At least that's what Wilfre said. So let's just say that how deep it looks up there isn't NEARLY as much from here!" Dr. Cure quickly recognized that new voice as Drew.

"We'll catch you, Doctor," Samuel added, "We promise that."

Dr. Cure seemed to only back up from the cliff a little, before walking along the track as well as she could, even climbing down onto where the metal portion of the track suddenly lurched downward. It wasn't long before she hung onto the last bit of the metal, looking downwards into the pit for a moment before releasing the hold she had, swiftly falling into the pit. Surprisingly they were right about the pit not being nearly as deep as it appeared, and before she realized it, her fall suddenly slowed to a more gentle descent as Samuel used a paw to guide her safely to the ground.

Giving Samuel a nod of gratitude, she looked around the pit a little, noticing the two fainted Raposa lying unconscious but relatively close together. "Russet and Melon..." she murmurred as she went over to them, checking for their pulse and breathing. Once done, she did the strangest thing; she pulled out a sterile needle, filling it with a serum and stuck that into Melon's neck vein; nearby where all her greatest wounds were. Samuel and Drew came over to her in confusion and then shock as the wounds began to heal so quickly it couldn't have been real.

"It's like a miracle shot!" Drew exclaimed in wonder, while Samuel put a paw on his chin in thought.

"Where did you even find something like this?" he asked, but not in suspicion; it was more of genuine curiosity. Dr. Cure removed the needle, disposing of it quickly while the rest of Melon's remaining wounds continued to heal, before reaching into a different pocket and pulling out some bandages, wrapping them around the few, minor wounds Russet had.

"Remember how the Hero used health pieces?" she answered Samuel while she worked, not taking long before she finished up on Russet, "Well, he gave me one of them to study. Eventually I managed to make a liquid that works the same way for Raposa. But logically it's only to be used for emergencies; for those who need it to live or those who are badly injured."

"That Hero must've been one lucky guy..." Drew replied with a chuckle, imagining a little of what it must've been like. Dr. Cure couldn't help but smile a little with a chuckle of her own.

"Indeed..." she said, before pausing when she noticed one Raposa was missing from the group. Suddenly frowning, she turned toward the two. "Where's Wilfre?"

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><p>Wilfre yelped as he was slammed against the wall, wanting to raise his sword to defend himself but was only able to swerve his head to the left as Lord Miney's pickaxe dug deep into the wall. It went in so deep that he couldn't immediately pull it out, which gave Wilfre enough time to squeeze out of the position he was put into, darting around Lord Miney and slicing him against his back. Lord Miney let out a screech of pain, quickly turning around with the pickaxe in paw, swinging it downward toward Wilfre's head, only for him to clang it against the sword.<p>

Lord Miney hissed bitterly from this, yet still managing to cause intense shivering friction between himself and Wilfre while weilding the pickaxe with only one paw. "A traitorous Raposa who managed to best both Russet and Melon. She especially did quite a number on your fragile, mortal body; and yet you still have the strength to fight me? A worthy opponent, I must say... It's no wonder Sly wanted you back so much!" Wilfre replied only with a glare, using the rest of his effort on maintaining the friction, even if it was hurting his wounded shoulder.

"But if I can best someone like you..." Lord Miney continued on, reaching his free paw behind him, then coming back with _another_ pickaxe, "You're clearly not worth his time!" At this, Wilfre's eyes widened and he abruptly drew back before Lord Miney could use the new pickaxe to stab into him.

_Baki dung...!_ He cursed to himself when he was at a fair distance away, _If I wasn't so injured right now this wouldn't be nearly as bad...! I feel like I can't win this at this rate..._ Lord Miney laughed from afar, looking over his opponent's state, as if realizing the same exact thing. Nearly half of Wilfre's wounds had been caused by Melon alone; and a few still haven't been able to form scabs on account of the constant movement breaking the delicate healing cells apart. Plus with the pace of his pounding heart and the heavy panting as his lungs felt like they were on fire, Wilfre wasn't sure how much longer he would last before exhaustion and blood loss combined would claim his consciousness and possibly his life; although it almost seemed like the only thing keeping him awake was the adrenaline running in his veins.

"Why don't you just give it up, kid?" Lord Miney snorted, padding up to Wilfre again, now holding both pickaxes in his paws. Wilfre immediately shook his head in reply, though he didn't really know why. Lord Miney tsked a little, raising his pickaxes to attack, quickly bringing them down upon Wilfre; or would've if the sword hadn't gotten in his way again. However this time, said sword was immediately disarmed from Wilfre as it flew off in the distance, landing on the ground in a series of clangs. From the surprise, Wilfre hesitated before turning to go get the sword. However, However, Lord Miney had other plans, one that didn't allow Wilfre to take even one pawstep away from him.

As quick as a flash, he used one of the pickaxes and stabbed it directly into Wilfre's back, causing him to let out a sharp scream of pain as he instead collasped to the ground on his front; the pain so great that tears even sprang to his eyes. Lord Miney on the other paw, held onto the pickaxe in question, letting out a deranged laugh and yelling out "Yeah, how's it feel to be BACKSTABBED now, Wilfre? Hurts, doesn't it?"

Due to Lord Miney holding onto the pickaxe that was embedded into Wilfre's back, he found he couldn't even attempt crawling away, both for the fact the hit was firmly placed and that it hurt even worse to move. Yet he clawed helplessly at the ground, even when it was futile. While his cries and whimpers consisted of "No"s and "Rapo"s, Lord Miney continued to laugh, louder now while readying his other pickaxe and aiming it towards Wilfre's head.

"Now just hold still," he chortled with insanity, "It's much more painful when you struggle!" Lord Miney went to strike, only to be interrupted when his vision was suddenly enveloped in smoke. In surprise, they both stopped what they were doing, before the weight of a Raposa slammed against Lord Miney, causing his hold on both pickaxes to fail as he was flung a good distance away from Wilfre. Wilfre did all he could to look around, to figure out what was going on. He opened his mouth to ask but was interrupted when the mysterious Raposa gripped the pickaxe in his back closest to the blades.

"This is going to hurt," the Raposa said simply in warning, tugging out the pickaxe and throwing it across the room. Wilfre let out another cry of pain from this, but soon found the pickaxe was now missing. "This; not so much." Right after this line was the feeling of a needle stabbing lightly into Wilfre's shoulderblade, which made him yelp but at least this time it didn't hurt nearly as much as before. Even so, he couldn't help but wish for one moment of absolute painlessness.

"What..." he struggled to talk to the Raposa, soon enough recognizing the voice and continuing more lively, "What're you doing to me _now_?" Dr. Cure chuckled lightly from his response, rolling her eyes although he couldn't see.

"Just take it easy," she replied as she poured the medicine inside quickly, "You'll be surprised how quickly you'll recover with this serum. It's healing you, pretty much."

"A SYRINGE that HEALS?" Wilfre couldn't help but reply, though had to admit the pain was starting to fade from the serum doing as was tasked and healing his greater wounds (also the closest ones). Due to this, he found his body beginning to relax a little. "How does that even...?"

Dr. Cure finished up in a hurry, disposing of the needle and picking up the other pickaxe Lord Miney had dropped, the smoke clearing at this point. "I'll explain later," she said with a sigh as Lord Miney was reapproaching fast. By this time Wilfre managed to sit up, looking over at her and then the sword across the room. A few moments later he got up and ran to the sword as quickly as he could, finding that in each second it became easier and easier. Sounds of combat rang in his ears by the time he reached it, wasting no time in picking the sword up into his paws.

Looking over at Lord Miney and Dr. Cure, they seemed to be fighting quite violently, though Dr. Cure was awkward with the pickaxe; not used to using it as a weapon. As Wilfre began to run over to them, Lord Miney managed to disarm Dr. Cure, lifting her up off the ground by the throat. She struggled and wheezed, putting her paws over Lord Miney's, trying to breathe better. While she could, she couldn't escape the iron grip. Wilfre's eyes widened, quickening his pace as he knew what Lord Miney was going to do. Most of it, anyway.

"You stupid Raposa..." Lord Miney snickered in mirth from watching Dr. Cure struggle and wheeze, though not paying attention to Wilfre coming closer and going behind them, "Foolish enough that you interrupt the best portion of the battle, but even more so knowing that you can't fight to save your own life. And I'll TAKE that healing serum, if you don't mind..." Lord Miney reached into Dr. Cure's pocket with his other paw, pulling and tossing away each bottle of liquid until he found the one he searched for, letting out a manical laugh while his face twisted in sick triumph.

It didn't last long however as Lord Miney's Shadow Goo let out a loud shriek of pain and he was moved a pace forward, and even caused him to drop Dr. Cure and the bottle back to the ground. She sputtered and coughed with deep pants for a few moments before she was able to see what had happened. Lord Miney collasped to the ground shortly after, the Shadow Goo melting off of his Raposa body and disappearing. Though Dr. Cure could've sworn she heard two different voices in that shriek, she decided not to make sure.

A pace or two behind was Wilfre, panting a bit himself as he clung to the handle of his sword. Coming forward a little, he bent down to her level, picking up the scattered bottles as he did so and handed them to her, compassion in his eyes and face. She smiled a little, taking the bottles back and beginning to do the process once again with a new needle; this time however on Miney. As Wilfre watched her do this, he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her shoulders in a firm embrace; his eyes easing shut and his ears drooping a little in relaxation. This caught Dr. Cure off guard a little but not as much as what he said next.

"Thank you..." he whispered, still holding her but now not as tightly, "I apologize for being cold before. You were saving my life..."

She smiled a bit wider, and continued working with one paw while the other wrapped around Wilfre in return, rubbing softly along his healed back. In reply, she only spoke out, "All in a day's work."


	20. 20 A Short Interlude

We have now gotten to chapter 20! Holy cow, I never thought I'd get this far, guys! Thanks for all of your support, reviewing, reading, and everything else. It helps me a lot.

Jowee, you adorable little fanboy.

And yes, I'd love some stew. What kind is it?

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><p>20. A Short Interlude<p>

"Ahaaaaa!" Everyone jumped as Key let out a cry of triumph. Jowee actually jumped three feet in the air in his surprise, while Mari just stiffened up. Zsasha debated briefly on finding somewhere to hide, only to stop when Key let out a laugh from where he was in the safehouse. The three Raposa then got up from where each were, walking toward Key's bedroom. Zsasha held back with Jowee, and Mari rolled her eyes, before knocking lightly on the door.

"Key...?" she asked causiously, "You okay in there?" They only heard more laughter from inside, before the door opened. The three Raposa stepped back from the door as Key wheeled himself out of the doorway, smirking in his genius.

"I'm much more than okay, Mayor Mari," he replied, while weilding a wrench in his paws. "I've still got it!"

"Got what?" Jowee asked in confusion, raising an eyebrow while Zsasha began to hide behind him a little.

"I'm glad you've asked that, Jowee..." Key grinned wider with a glint in his eyes, wheeling away from the doorway entirely at this point. "Come on out, Coal!" While idly tapping the gripping end of the wrench against one of his paws, Key watched in pride as a Robosa made its way out of the room as well. This Robosa was different in the fact it didn't walk around on steamrollers, but actual legs. It stopped after a few, awkward paces out of the doorway, proceeding to stare around the room and then at the Raposa in front of it.

"Behold; the latest Robosa model to exist, Coal!" Key cheered this in glee while the proclaimed 'Coal' turned its head toward its master, studying this behavior.

"Master is happy," it said simply, although the statement itself was rather obvious. Key was even more thrilled from the Raposas' reactions to not only seeing Coal but also the fact it spoke English. The most shocking of all their amazed reactions was of Jowee, who seemed to gain a lit up face.

_I've been waiting SO LONG for this!_ he thought in his mind before he approached Coal to fully admire it. This caused Zsasha to lose his hiding spot so he dove behind Mari instead, who looked at him in a bit of confusion. Coal only began to stare back at Jowee instead of Key now, but wasn't sure what to make of the situation. It simply stood there instead, studying his face to remember for later.

"Armed of course with crystal Banya mining capabilities," Key continued in pride, not seeming to let that up for anything, "Coal is now, as you just saw, capable of English speech. But like all traditional Robosa, also can speak in Morse. Coal, demenstrate this quickly. Say 'I am speaking in Morse Code' IN Morse."

Coal heard the command and confirmed with a small nod before replying, ".. .- - ... .-. . .- -.- .. -. -. .. -. - - .-. ... . -.-. - -.. . .-.-.-". Although the Raposa (aside from Key and Coal) had no idea how the series of short and long beeps translated to that, they were still impressed to hear it either way; so well practiced and exact. Jowee couldn't hold back his excitement any longer and suddenly embraced Coal, even if it felt a bit uncomfortably metal and cold. Once again, Coal didn't have any idea how to react to the affection, so it just stood there blankly, as it quickly realized the action was no threat.

Mari couldn't help but giggle just a bit from this, mostly from the fact of seeing Jowee get what he was wanting for so long; to see a Robosa. She looked over at Key afterwards, asking "So can Coal protect the villagers? Or is there a chance it could go berserk?" Key patted the wrench against his paw once again, thinking about how to answer for a few moments.

"As of right now, Coal is capable of seeing whether or not a situation is a threat; as Jowee nicely showed just now," he finally replied as he watched the scene unfold, "If something is a threat, Coal will attack whatever the threat is to the best of its ability. If it's not, Coal will react differently, depending on the situation. It may not know much at this point, but it is also fully capable of learning appropriate behavioral reactions from experiencing or seeing them." While explaining this, Jowee let go of Coal, staring at him in confusion. Key sighed a bit, then added more simply, "I mean that one day, Coal might hug you back, Jowee, because it's learned how."

Coal's gears clicked in thought, registering the term 'hug' and adding it mentally into its programming, like so:

_-'Hug' Event-  
>IF RAPOSA 'hug's Coal<br>THEN Coal 'hug's RAPOSA 'back' 'safely'._

However, that was quickly edited due to the programming itself being too specific. Coal decided it was better phrased as:

_-'Hug' Event (General)-  
>IF RAPOSA 'hug's Coal OR 'request's 'hug' from Coal<br>THEN Coal 'hug's RAPOSA 'safely'._

_-'Hug' Event (Request)-  
>Coal 'request's RAPOSA for 'permission' to 'hug'.<br>IF RAPOSA 'answer' IS a 'yes'  
>THEN Coal 'hug's RAPOSA 'safely'.<br>IF RAPOSA 'answer' IS a 'no'  
>THEN Coal 'drop's SUBJECT 'hug' AND 'reply's in 'understanding'.<em>

From this edit, Coal found it worked a lot more stable than before, and saved it the way it was now. In fact, it also immediately wanted to test out the program it just created; in an effort to find if it functioned properly. Once again, it turned to Jowee, hesitating for just a moment before asking simply like before, "Coal hug Jowee?" Jowee actually _squealed_ when Coal had uttered his name, and turned back to it in upmost glee, nodding vigorously.

"Of course!" he said as he did so, afterwards holding his arms out for a hug. Coal watched this in interest, interpreting the answer as a 'yes' and repeated the action Jowee just did, before Jowee came forward and embraced Coal once more. Afterwards, Coal like before repeated what Jowee had done, wrapping its own metal arms around Jowee; but made sure not to hold him any tighter than Jowee himself had. Key appeared a bit smug, while Mari couldn't help but look upon the scene with adorable belief. Zsasha causiously peeked out of his hiding spot, eying the two curiously now.

"See what I mean?" Key said when Coal and Jowee parted from the hug once again, "Being capable of learning is the best improvement ever to see in a Robosa; which will make Coal an even greater model over time. One day I won't be surprised if it started acting like a regular Raposa to a T. Maybe still a few minor things here and there every so often, but still very much like one of us." While Key continued to drone about how amazing Coal could become as it progressed in its learning, Mari and Zsasha came toward Jowee and Coal to greet it. As they did so, Jowee was feeling like quite possibly the happiest Raposa alive at the moment.

"Coal, this is my best friend, Mari," Jowee introduced while still having a lit up face, "And that dude next to her is Zsasha." Mari smiled with a small wave while Zsasha awkwardly shifted his eyes, not knowing what to say. Coal studied them both, taking a flashless pictures of Jowee, Mari, and finally Zsasha to save their facial appearences for later. These pictures, it decided, would be used for their bio files; which would store every last thing Coal learned about that Raposa.

"Mari," it said toward her, then looking again at Zsasha, "Zsasha."

"That's right," Mari replied with a nod, before holding out a paw to shake paws with Coal, "It's nice to meet you, Coal!" Coal looked down at her paw, unsure of what to do in response; although like before also knew the action wasn't a threat. Jowee blinked a little before stepping a little ways from Coal, motioning to Mari that it needed to be shown what to do. With a nod, Mari pulled her paw back, then put it forward again, this time toward Jowee.

In response, Jowee did the same action with his own smile, his paw connecting to Mari's. He tried his best not to blush while their paws went upwards then back down a few times; afterwards finally parting and pulling away from each other. Coal watched this entire scene play out with interest, coding another event into its programming:

_-'Pawshake' Event (First Meeting)-  
>IF RAPOSA 'holds out' 'paw' TOWARD Coal<br>THEN Coal 'repeat' ACTION; 'hold' RAPOSAs 'paw'; ('move' UP AND DOWN)x2 - 4._

_-'Pawshake' Event (General)-  
>RAPOSA 'holds out' 'paw' TOWARD Coal.<br>IF Coal HAS 'met' RAPOSA 'previously' AND HAS 'memory for situation' 'stored'  
>PROCEED WITH EVENT.<br>OTHERWISE Coal 'request information'._

Soon afterward, Mari had turned to face Coal, beginning to do the action once again with reaching out a paw toward it. Coal watched for a moment, before it brought out its own paw in return; before their paws, normal and mechanical, connected. The other three Raposa watched in awe while the pawshake commenced, but it didn't take long before it ended, with Mari smiling at Coal. After this was done, Jowee shook paws with it as well, while Zsasha watched quietly from afar. Truth be told, he felt a bit awkward about interacting with Coal whatsoever, but only because other Raposa were around. Had they been alone... Zsasha would probably have a field day with it, though not as badly as Jowee would.

"Look at him; already learning!" Key chuckled, his expression becoming a little smug, "If only I could show him to the other villagers..."

While Jowee nudged Zsasha to do that same action with Coal like it had with Mari and him, Mari turned toward Key, still having her soft grin. "I'm sure you'll be able to soon, Key," she replied in assurance, "Like Wilfre said earlier; soon we won't have to hide down here anymore!"

"I guess so, Mayor Mari, but..." he paused here with a sigh, frowning a bit to himself, "I'll believe that when I see my brother normal again..." Zsasha had just finished awkwardly pawshaking with Coal when they all heard a small laugh coming from the entrance of the safehouse. They all turned their heads to look where it came from; and while everyone was surprised at the sight they just now are seeing, Key's eyes widened while his mouth gaped in complete disbelief.

"Oh Key... You're such a stubborn little Baki," After this was said, a gray-furred Raposa padded toward him, bearing a soft expression and smile even though his mustache and beard partically hid said grin. Behind him was the other Raposa, including of course Wilfre, Dr. Cure, Samuel and Drew; but also three others whom were redorange-furred, gold-haired and black-furred. The first Raposa stopped in front of Key, looking down at him with a small chuckle. "Really... You didn't actually think it was the end of Lavasteam, did you?"

"M-Miney...?" Key quivered a bit from seeing the Raposa, almost unable to comprehend the sight. "Is it really y-you...?" He tentatively reached a paw upward, as if to touch him to be sure he wasn't hallucinating. Mayor Miney kneeled down to Key's level, putting his paws firmly on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Yes, it _is_ me," he whispered, smiling a little more right afterward. Key's eyes became shinier as they became tearful, and soon afterward he couldn't hold back a wail as he wrapped his arms around Mayor Miney, clinging to him as if he didn't ever want to leave his side again. Mayor Miney blinked in surprise from the sudden emotion, but held him in return, even shhhing him a little while softly petting the back of his head with a paw. While doing this, he continued in a crooning tone, "Oh how I've missed you so, little brother..."

Key continued to sniffle and cry as he clung to Mayor Miney, tears running down his face, before burying his face into his shoulder as his ears drooped. There were a variety of emotions being conveyed, so many it felt like a war in his mind; each and every one trying to figure out how to feel. He didn't reply immediately, but when he did, it was very stuttery. "D-D-Don't ever d-do that again, M-Miney..." was all of it at first, before he took a deep, shaking breath and continued, "P-Promise me, p-please..."

Mayor Miney held onto Key for a little bit longer, before he finally pulled away to look into his now tear covered eyes. While Key pulled back as well and afterwards started wiping away his tears in slight embarrassment, Mayor Miney rubbed along Key's shoulders a little in assurance, nodding as he replied, "I promise, Key..."


	21. 21 Destined to Follow

So sorry it took so long. Thanks for all the reviewing, by the way.

Hmm... I'll need to go get a bowl. While waiting, please read!

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><p>21. Destined to Follow<p>

"What do you MEAN I can't use it for a few weeks? It's my mining arm, Doctor!"

Dr. Cure sighed a bit to herself. Mick had always been a stubborn sort of patient; as she remembered not too long before Sly corrupted Lavasteam, he was seen not wanting to take medicine for his case of Rapuenza. "Mick, if you want to get that arm back into mining condition, you'll do what I suggest." Her tone was curt, even a little strict, as she got up from where she was sitting, heading out the door.

"Why can't you use that magic shot thing for it, then?" Mick pouted, yet cradling his casted up arm, "I wouldn't have to wait..."

"Oh, I would..." Dr. Cure ended up giggling as she was out the door, "But then you wouldn't learn anything about proper recovery. Those 'magic shots' you mention aren't as magical as you think. It wouldn't heal your broken arm the way it should." Mick pouted more with a small whine, but finally let it go after a few more moments. By this time, Dr. Cure had left his home, where Russet had been waiting.

"Watch him carefully," she advised him while he nodded, "He might do something he shouldn't no matter what I say." Russet only chuckled a little, peeking into the house through a window with another nod.

"Don't worry, I will," he replied, turning back to her with a grin, "Thanks again, Doctor."

"All in a day's work," she nodded with this response, before bidding him farewell and walking along the street of Lavasteam. As she padded on, she passed by several of Lavasteam's residents, now of course being normal and not shadowed or even ill like before. She smiled a little as she passed by a few Raposa hauling out a cart or two of Banya crystals from out of the mines, Coal actually assisting them with the task. At another scene, there was Melon and a younger Rapo with gold hair, possibly her sister. Usually Melon would've been annoyed by the little one following her around; but after that whole incident, was rather more caring and protective of her.

Not too long afterwards, Drew spotted her and tagged along. He had a large grin on his face as he admired the sights of Lavasteam. "Hey, Dr. Cure!"

She paused a little in her walk to let him catch up to her, smiling a bit more herself in greeting. "Hi, Drew."

"This place is a lot different now..." he replied, following her when she began to walk again. "Much nicer than when it was all shadowy. Everyone being so friendly and kind... Has it been like this forever?"

"Mostly, yes," she nodded, passing by more Raposa while they waved at both her and Drew in greeting, before continuing their work, "Miney is pretty generous, and the Raposa here are reasonably nice as well. A lot like our own village, really..."

"Your village?" Drew echoed, a little confused but let it go, "Is it as nice as this? Or... Um, Watersong, you mentioned?" She didn't answer right away, frowning a little from the memories that plagued her.

_"Don't worry, Dad, I'll heal you... I'll fix you up... Your daughter will get you back on your feet... Dad, are you still there? No, Dad, stay awake, please! DAD...!"_

"Dr. Cure?" Drew asked again, prodding her shoulder in concern, "You okay? I didn't ask something too personal, did I?" Dr. Cure snapped out of her trance, blinking with slightly widened eyes, before facing Drew.

"Oh, um... No, you didn't," she finally replied, a bit stuttery however, "I just... Remembered something, is all. But to answer you, yes, it is a nice place as well. Or... Used to be."

_What did she remember?_ Drew thought to himself, his ears drooping a bit in worry now, _Whatever it was, it must've been awful if it made her space out like that..._

"Well, okay," he replied outloud, not wanting to press the matter further and instead looking ahead, seeing the dock with Turtlerock, along with many Raposa nearby it. His jaw dropped from the sight, gasping in excitement. "Dr. Cure... Is that Turtlerock?" Dr. Cure, now able to be distracted by Drew's excitement, smiled softly with a nod.

"Yes, it is," she replied, walking toward it now before she suddenly paused, turning to face him instead. "Drew... I'm going to be going with them. Wilfre and the others may need me to help them stop Sly's empire. Would you like to come along?" Drew wasn't exactly sure what to say, or how to answer the question. As far as he knew, Lavasteam felt like home, where he belonged and that he shouldn't leave. Even moreso that he felt like he'd been pretty useless so far, so he'd probably just be a burden if he went along.

But on the other paw, going with them would open up more possibilites of finding out his past, and who he is. Yet, having the choice itself of either staying or going... It made it feel impossible to choose on his own. While he continued thinking, Dr. Cure only smiled more in understanding, coming up to him and putting her paws on his shoulders. "I understand if you'd rather stay," she said to him, looking into his sky-blue eyes, "It will be very dangerous... It'd seem nicer to just stay where it's safe, after all. And even if you end up never finding out who you were in the end, I bet you'll find a new wonderful life to live by."

From her words, Drew felt much more assured about if he chose to stay in Lavasteam, yet it also saddened him to realize that it would probably make him give up the one chance available to see what the rest of the world would have in store; as well as finding out his real identity. After a long while of thinking, he sighed, looking into her hazel eyes.

"Dr. Cure," he started, trying to sound serious about what he would say next, "I want to come with you. I want to see the world. I want to learn more about myself, as well as you guys. You're all the friends I have, and I don't think I could just... Let them all leave me." Dr. Cure blinked a little from his answer, holding onto his shoulders a little more firmly, but not too much.

"Are you sure about that?" she warned carefully, "It's not like if you die you'll have another chance. I can't garantee that if you're greatly injured or dying I'll be able to save you... I'd want to with all my power, but circumstances might keep me from trying-"

She stopped when Drew put his paws over hers, bringing them gingerly off of his shoulders. "It's okay, Dr. Cure," he replied, in a softer voice, "I understand that. I WILL be careful. But I just... I feel like I need to go. With all of you. And if I find out who I am with all of you around to know, I'll feel complete. Please, let me come with you." The doctor Raposa thought about this a little, before smiling at last, holding onto Drew's paws in return.

"Then let's go," she agreed, "All together."

It didn't take them long before they reached the dock, seeing the other Raposa already preparing to board Turtlerock. They were conversing with Miney and Key, until Mari noticed Jowee running toward the dock, as if in a hurry. Mari wondered where he had run off to and Jowee replied in pants that he was saying goodbye to Coal. At that, Mari couldn't help but sigh with an amused eyeroll. Samuel actually came up to ask if he could keep the length of pipe he'd found earlier, to find that neither Miney or Key minded if he did. Gaining a small smile, Samuel kept the pipe, finding that it still was a better weapon compared to the bag of rocks he used once a while back.

As for Zsasha, he seemed to sneak toward Turtlerock, until Drew noticed and followed him, which caused him to pause. Surprised to have been caught, Zsasha turned around to face Drew, embarrassment clouding his face. In a paniced voice, he explained that he wasn't trying to sneak off with stolen things. Drew only chuckled and patted his head; which surprisingly enough calmed Zsasha down, before leading Drew onto Turtlerock.

* * *

><p>"So our next course is..." Drew began, his eyebrow raising in complete awe and confusion, "The Democracy of the Republic of the People of the United Space Force? What kind of place <em>is<em> that?"

"A really weird place," Jowee sighed in remembering his past with such a place, then facepawing. "A place where you had to fill out a form to use the Rapoing BATHROOM. Rules, rules everywhere! It was a crazy place, with jungles kept inside glass domes! Even BAKIS wore space suits!"

"No way..." Drew breathed in disbelief, but nevertheless was interested. "What kind of rules? What about the villagers?"

"Many, MANY rules..." Zsasha answered this time, though had been a little hesitant at first, "I remember just trying to run away from Officer Cricket, then a S.P.U.D. came out from literally no where and said I was 'running in a clearly marked No-Running Zone'... It was awful."

"Oh, and let's not forget the SNEEZING rule," Jowee groaned with an eyeroll.

"There was a sneezing rule?" Drew immediately replied, even more in disbelief now.

"Yeah, I know colds are spread by sneezing and close contact but COME ON!" Jowee continued, "You can't illegalize something you can't prevent! What sort of Raposa can keep themselves from SNEEZING? Believe me, I'd LOVE to meet the Raposa who can do that."

"And you said before that the villagers all wore glass helmets?" Dr. Cure added, her eyebrow raising from it all, "If that is so, not even microscopic organisms that cause colds, or ANY disease for that matter, should've been able to transfer to anyone..."

"Exactly!" Jowee agreed, throwing his arms up in the air, "So the law was completely pointless, right?"

"And about those villagers; they weren't exactly... The smartest bunch of Raposa you'd ever meet," Wilfre added to answer the other question, "It was really strange that they all blindly followed Mayor Click, no matter how many ridiculous rules he set up."

"And what the villagers WORE?" Mari sighed, putting her paws together in an uncomfortable manner. "They were... Kinda skimpy."

"The girls were pretty hot though..." Jowee couldn't help but mutter, which caused Mari to blush deeply and claw his face in anger. "AAGH, MY FACE! I THINK IT'S BLEEDING!" From this, a few of the Raposa in the room laughed a little. Jowee turned to Wilfre, as if he would come to his defense.

"Don't look at me Jowee," he replied with a slight eyeroll of his own, "That was pretty much your fault." Pouting a little, Jowee turned to Dr. Cure.

"I don't think so," she giggled, "Not after that line about Raposa women."

"Aw come on you guys!" Jowee whined, before sighing in defeat, "I was just kidding..."

"True, but there were many other ways to phrase it," Wilfre replied, crossing his arms a bit smugly, "Nicer, less offensive ways. Like simply saying 'pretty'. Or calling them 'attractive'. Or 'beautiful'. Or not saying anything at all, like this." After this, Wilfre went silent. Jowee huffed a little, turning away from Wilfre altogether, although he realized that he was right.

_Oh you're so stupid, Jowee!_ he yelled in his head, mentally kicking himself where it hurt, _How're you supposed to be winning Mari's heart if you keep saying Baki dung like that? 'The girls were pretty hot'? Mari's the ONLY one you should be calling hot. Well, not to her face... That'd be really stupid._

After a few more moments, the laughter died down in ease. The last Raposa in the group that had not spoken up until now began to, eying the world map in curiosity. "Despite the faults, I'm still genuinely curious about the... United Space Force," Samuel began, though struggled with the wording of the place's name, "Surely Mayor Click doesn't have those odd rules in place anymore? He seemed like an understanding fellow."

"Yeah, he said he was going to change things now that he was Mayor," Jowee replied once he recovered from the clawing Mari had done before, "He even asked me how he could repay us for fixing everything up. And so I told him to- Oh Rapo..." He had suddenly cut himself off at that last bit, facepawing once more but this time, with both paws. Right afterwards, he pulled the paws back with a hiss of pain, remembering his clawed face. The other Raposa were confused about Jowee's sudden realization, but Wilfre especially.

Frowning with a raised eyebrow, he asked, "What did you tell him?" Jowee sighed to himself in both regret and shame, but was unable to look Wilfre in the eyes as he replied,

"I told him to never listen to you..."


	22. 22 Admist the Hatred

Thanks again for reviewing. It probably sounds like a broken record by now but I can't stress it enough.

Also my bowl is ready - serve me some stew!

Also also, this chapter gets pretty dark at one point. Not as dark as chapter 02, but still pretty dark.

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><p>22. Admist the Hatred<p>

Lightning flashed from out the window, quickly followed by the rumbling of thunder. Seemed like during their course to Galactic Jungle, the path led the Raposa on board into a heavy thunderstorm. Luckily, there wasn't much wind or rain - just a lot of thunder and lightning. Plus Turtlerock wasn't an ordinary ship, either, so they weren't deteered all too much from their journey.

From in his bed Wilfre tossed and turned, before finally sitting up with a low sigh. Resting his elbows on his lap and placing his paws on his lower cheeks, he watched the lightning rage outside in boredom. It wasn't the storm that kept him from sleeping. Jowee's words from before were running in his mind over and over again, like a broken record. Wilfre still couldn't believe such a thing, although he also quickly realized that it was at a time where he was unable to be trusted in the first place.

Either way, it was still a bit insulting to be the subject of negative advice. And due to this, Wilfre just couldn't sleep it off, no matter how hard he tried.

Soon, he decided that maybe a glass of water would help him, though he highly doubted it. Pulling down the covers, he got out of the bed, padding over to the door and opening it to leave the room.

During this, in another room was Drew, who was hiding deep in his covers, turned away from the window and shaking like a leaf. With every lightning strike he whimpered from the empending sound that was to come, and with every thunder roar he would flinch from how loud and close it sounded. He didn't really know why, but thunderstorms really scared him. In fact, it was so much so that it took all his willpower to keep from letting tears spring to his eyes from it all.

He hugged himself as if for protection, flinching once again. Oh, why couldn't it all just stop, or leave them alone? He even wished it was that easy; simply telling the storm to stop and it would. During the brief silence, Drew thought a little, before thinking that maybe asking the Creator to stop the storm would work. Although it seemed silly and possibly unlikely, he felt that it was worth a try.

"Please, Creator," he spoke softly, putting his paws together in prayer, although being unable to hold back another whimper as he saw another lightning flash, "Make the storm go away..."

He waited for what felt like an hour, but the storm didn't stop, or even weaken. Drew frowned, holding himself once again, shutting his eyes tight. With every word he spoke next, he could feel his throat tighten and his eyes moisen from wanting to let tears flow. "Please, Creator, Please... I beg of you... Make it stop. It's scaring me so much..."

After another long while, Drew finally decided to get out of bed altogether, but still holding himself in fear. Dear Creator he felt so much like a tiny Rapo, wanting to find a parent to cuddle with and to make it less scary. But at this point he was so afraid that he didn't care. Quickly, he approached his door, opening it and exiting the room.

The main room of the house wasn't very comforting. It was as dark as his own room, with windows that of course flashed out the lightning strikes, and followed with the roars of thunder. Clinging to himself tighter with a gulp, Drew padded around a little, wondering just who to go to in this situation.

Wilfre and Jowee were definitely out of the question; both would probably be annoyed from being awoken. Zsasha maybe, but Drew didn't know him very well, and Zsasha seemed a little... Shut in. Same went for Samuel, though he was pretty kind in general. Mari would be a better choice, but like the others, he didn't know her all that well either; so his last option was Dr. Cure, and he smiled a bit at that. Yeah, he knew her more than the others, and she was pretty understanding as well...

Already feeling a small sense of comfort, Drew started for the room where Dr. Cure slept, though was sure to be quiet as he padded along. However, on his way he paused when he saw a figure in the room, the figure appearing as a Raposa, though the form was difficult to see from the darkness of the room. While Drew flinched at another lightning flash, he was able to briefly see the figure more clearly; a male Raposa with a ponytail... From this, Drew let out a relieved sigh, along with his ears slightly drooping.

"Hey Wilfre," Drew called out in a whisper, padding forward a little, "You can't sleep, eith-" He was suddenly cut off in a yelp of surprise when the figure moved, turning his head and revealing two pools of glowing, white eyes that now bore into his own. The twin pools were at first in shock to having been seen, but after looking over Drew a little, narrowed viciously; while an equally glowing white mouth curled downward into a deep snarl. At this, Drew began to shake again, now more afraid of this creature even more than any thunderstorm in existance. No, this couldn't be Wilfre. This... This nightmare creature wasn't Wilfre _at all._

"You..." the creature simply hissed in disgust at first, before adding, "You live again?" Drew frantically shook his head, not understanding the question being asked. His eyes glanced around the room, including the doors where the others were sleeping. The creature growled deeply from not being answered, almost stomping in his steps toward Drew now. "Don't you DARE play dumb with me! You're the one who kept ruining EVERYTHING."

Drew however backed away from the creature, soon enough being able to see that the he was entirely made of Shadow Goo, but that alone only rose the fear factor that began to root inside. Once against a wall, he replied with a whimper, "I don't know what you're t-talking about...!" While the creature only followed with a deeper growl, Drew realized something not too long after saying that, adding in shock, "Wait... You're Sly, aren't you?"

"Pity that you're no smarter than you used to be," Sly sneered, now right in front of a trapped Drew, "But that's not the point at the moment. The point is, you've been a thorn in my side for far too long."

"A thorn in your... S-Sly, I don't understand!" Drew whined, now losing control of the volume in his voice from his fear, "I don't remember ever doing anything to you! A-And if I did, I didn't mean to..." Drew let out another yelp, this time in pain as Sly smacked him in the face, pretty roughly while only glaring into his eyes with hatred.

"Oh, you meant to, don't worry..." was all Sly said at first, almost quietly. After another few more moments, a fake arm and hand sprang out from his back, before latching around Drew's neck and lifting him off the ground a little. Right afterwards, the lifted Drew gasped in complete fear, tugging on the Shadow Gooed hand to allow easier breathing; and his eyes widened when his body was pressed firmly against the wall, a thud noise being made as the action was done.

It was at this point Sly was grinning manically, crossing his normal arms and snickering in mirth from Drew's fear and pain. "Hard to believe that you're so helpless now. No shooters, no slingers, no slashers, not even your bare paws. Well," Sly paused here as his fake hand gripped Drew's neck tighter, causing him to gasp for air wildly, though it was now quite difficult to do so. After another moment, Sly uncrossed his arms, letting out another wicked laugh as one of his Shadowed paws generated a ball of pure Shadow Goo. "THIS is going deep into your throat..."

Drew at this point was struggling wildly and doing his best to breathe while still tugging at the fake hand over his neck. He quickly shook his head as well, now so much afraid that tears were peeking at his eyes. "Sly, please..." he begged hoarsely, "Please don't hurt me...!" Sly only let out an angry snarl at this, glaring into Drew's eyes once more.

"You still speak?" he almost yelled at this point, though quickly relaxed, "Well, not that it matters in a few minutes. Once this is in your throat, it will snap your pathetic Raposa neck in two. Dead before you hit the ground. I will PERSONALLY make sure you're dead... I will NOT let you interfere again!" With that, Sly suddenly loosened his fake hand's grip around Drew's neck, of course the effect being Drew opening his mouth wide to breathe deeply in pants. Seeing his chance, Sly reached forward as quick as he could to shove the ball of Shadow Goo into Drew's mouth-

Only to let out a noise of pain as a somewhat heavy glass of water shattered against his head. He paused, quickly turning around to see what was going on before he was suddenly gripped by the shoulders and shoved aside by a very tired and very ticked off Wilfre. Being shoved aside caused the fake hand to let go of Drew altogether, who fell to the ground, gasping and coughing for air and at this moment, not caring about anything else until his breathing was back to normal.

The ball of Shadow Goo fell out of Sly's paws at this point, hitting the floor with a disturbingly squishy noise. From this, it didn't take Sly long to get up, wanting to go get it but knew that Wilfre would keep him from doing so. "You sick, twisted pile of Shadow Goo," Wilfre seethed, looking into Sly's eyes with complete distain, "How DARE you just barge in here to attempt murder on an innocent Raposa..." Leaving the ball on the ground, Sly let another fake arm spring out, knowing that a fight would ensue quickly.

"_Innocent?_" Sly sneered in reply, his mouth curling into a laughing smile, "He's anything but! Don't you, of ALL filthy Raposa, recognize him at ALL? Just look at him; his acting is pathetic! I can see right through his Amnesiac disguise!" Sly paused a bit, before starting again with a mimicy voice, "'Oh, I'm so innocent because I don't remember a thing!' Pure Raposa dung is what I see. I know that he'll suddenly turn around and-"

"Wilfre..." Drew interrupted in complete confusion, now breathing more stably, "What is Sly talking about? I kept ruining everything? I'm a thorn in his side? What's going on?"

"Aw, look at that," Sly teased, as if speaking to an infant, "He's still trying to maintain that guise. Making you all believe he's just some Amnesiac Raposa who's in way over his head." Wilfre looked over at Drew for a moment, pondering over what was said before he quickly looked back at Sly.

"It couldn't be a guise," Wilfre said firmly, "What I see is genuine confusion. Drew doesn't know ANYTHING. You're wrong, Sly... In fact, if he does regain his memories, I'll bet you one THOUSAND Rapo Tokens that they're memories of a normal Raposa. Special to him maybe, but not a prodigy of sorts."

"One thousand Rapo Tokens, you say?" Sly suddenly giggled a little, an idea forming in his mind, "Seems a little low, don't you think? Maybe we could have a better wager than that..." At this, Wilfre groaned to himself. Again with the method of deals, but quickly he regretted the fact that he was the one who actually brought it into the conversation. He realized that the method was getting rather old, and seemed pretty annoying in of itself. In fact, just thinking about it made him realize how annoying he had been in the past when he used that method. Though, now wasn't the time to dwell into the past, so he looked Sly straight in the eyes, while Drew got up, stepping away from Sly, as far as he could.

"Fine, what?" Wilfre replied while Drew did this, not taking his eyes off of Sly as his face became more manic, as if having an ace up his Shadowed sleeve; although it wasn't to be taken literal as Sly was entirely composed of Shadow Goo.

"I'll let the Goldilocks live, for the sake of this deal," Sly started, waving his paw a bit as he continued, rather confindant, "Let's say he gets his stupid memories back. If they are, as you say, ordinary memories that have nothing to do with why I was so angry with him, then I'll let you end my life right then and there. But if they're... Oh I don't know, the Hero's memories or something; you know, important, nonordinary memories, then you must come back to me for the rest of your miserable life. How's that for a deal, eh?"

Wilfre on the other paw, actually pondered this a bit. No, the deal was pretty fair; and the outcome seemed more likely to land in Wilfre's favor, and the reward that followed would make the Raposa world go back in order much quicker. Though, if he accepted, he would also be giving up his very soul and body to Sly's everleeching power if he lost the bet. While thinking, the storm continued to rage on, though previously had been drowned out by the violence and talking. Drew began to shake again at realizing the storm had not stopped by now, while Sly looked over at him with another amused snicker.

"So pathetic, pretending he doesn't remember why he fears thunderstorms..." he said to himself, though Wilfre heard and looked over at Drew again, this time in a bit of confusion. When he was looked at, Drew shyed away, now a little ashamed of being so afraid. However, looking at Wilfre again, he relaxed a bit, since the expression read something along the lines of 'Do not feel shame. We will discuss this soon.' After a little bit longer of thinking, Wilfre turned back to Sly once more, as if ready to answer.

Realizing this, Drew quickly wanted to interject, even when he was already so afraid of what was going on. "Don't say yes, Wilfre...! You don't know what you're agreeing t-"

"It's alright, Drew," Wilfre spoke in reply, but didn't look away from Sly, "This is something Sly couldn't possibly win. So, I accept."

"Oh, good," Sly cackled lightly while Drew's face fell in dismay, "I'm glad you agree to this arrangement... Soon, we will see who claims who's life!" With another, louder cackle, Sly stamped his back paw against the ball of Shadow Goo, absorbing it into his body before he suddenly shot it out from his arm. The ball hit against the window, shattering it. However Sly wasn't deteered, his cackle being the last thing heard from him as his body morphed and stretched out of the window through the new hole. In this way, his form had become undistinquishable as it passed through the hole. Wilfre and Drew followed, looking out the window to see Sly's Shadow Goo now stretch to the sky, then disappearing from sight.

Even though a bit of wind started coming in through the now broken window, Wilfre couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. "He's gone..." he said at first, "Took him long enough." Wilfre paused here to gingerly pick up the pieces of now broken glass alongside Drew, who kept dropping them with yelps of fear everytime he heard a roar of thunder. After this had happened a few times, Drew sighed in shame, looking away from Wilfre as he placed the pieces of glass in the nearest trash bin.

Wilfre did have to admit that it annoyed him a bit, but knew better than to let that show; as from already seeing how badly Drew knows of how much it possibly did. Once all the pieces were disposed of, Wilfre paused to think a little on how to cover up the gaping hole that was now in the window. As far as he knew, there weren't any suitable materials lying around inside the house. Even for a temporary fix, they would need to look elsewhere on Turtlerock. Although Drew was beginning to think the same thing, one look at Wilfre made a strange bit of deva ju overwhelm him, before suddenly clinging to him in surprise when another lightning flash appeared for a moment.

"I'm NOT going to check the Forgotten Library by myself...!" he whimpered a bit, while the sudden cling from before had caused Wilfre to let out a tiny noise of surprise. At first, he wasn't sure what to make of these events. First being the fact Drew was just so scared that he held onto the nearest Raposa around at the moment; and second seeming to know a location name like that...

"Err..." Wilfre started, though awkwardly petting Drew's head fur, "I wasn't going to ask you to go alone, Drew. And... How do you know about the Forgotten Library?" Drew's eyes suddenly widened at the realization. He _didn't_ know how he knew the name of that place, he just... Did, somehow.

"I don't know," he replied quietly and honestly, "I don't know how that slipped out..." Wilfre seemed to relax from the sudden cling, now being more comforting with the light petting as he let out a hmm noise of thought.

"Either way, I wouldn't make you go alone if you're that scared," he said to him, "I could just go myself and see if I could find somethi-"

"Not alone, Wilfre!" Drew blurted again, holding him a bit tighter, "I'll... I'll go with you, because it's... It's dangerous...!" Wilfre was failing to see the logic of thunderstorms being dangerous to a Raposa. Trees were more likely to be in danger, while Raposa stood at a mere three feet. Though again, he didn't dare show his slight annoyance, pushing it aside not only for Drew seeming to suspect it himself, but also that it wasn't fair to judge one's fears. It also seemed nice to know Drew cared enough to be worried for his sake.

Finally, with a small sigh, he replied, "Alright, we can go together. Just know that neither of us are in danger, okay Drew?" In response, Drew nodded timidly, forcing himself to pull away from Wilfre. After this, Wilfre continued, padding away from the main room, toward his own. "Just allow me to get my sword, and we'll go."


	23. 23 The Forgotten Library

The stew is delicious. Also, have a new chapter. For whatever reason, I feel like the ancient things in the Forgotten Library was never expanded enough. I mean really, who _wouldn't _be interested in Raposian history? If not, then I guess that's just me. I've always loved history. Well, I guess that may indicate a spoiler there; my love of history meaning it'll probably affect the story in some way.

It will be expanded upon later, though. You'll see what I mean when we come to that bridge.

This chapter is somewhat silly.

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><p>23. The Forgotten Library<p>

Even if the place was lit with chandeliers, the roaring thunder continued to make Drew wobble slightly as he and Wilfre trekked through the Forgotten Library. From a lot of the walls, giant roots appeared to have torn into the rooms and halls, wiggling about wildly, alive. While Wilfre only looked at them for a curious moment before moving on, Drew eyed them and actually seemed to linger before forcing himself to follow, his and Wilfre's pawsteps being the only other sound heard along with the occasional thunder.

During all this, Wilfre had his sword with him, however still in its sheath as they traversed. His eyes scanned around, trying to locate any sort of material suitable to be a temporary fix for the broken window. Thanks to Sly, sleep would have to wait, even if Wilfre would've liked nothing more than to catch up on the forty winks needed for the next day to come. While he still couldn't find anything yet, he paused at a few bookshelves that of course had the giant, live roots wiggling about, but also were filled to the brim with dusty books.

He tried to read the titles of some, but gave up quickly when it was written in runes he couldn't understand. So instead, he pressed onward while Drew continued to lag behind. The only thing making Drew speed up to almost three feet away from Wilfre was the storm reminding him cruelly of his fears. A few times Wilfre looked back at him, and once he jumped a little when Drew had accidentally bumped into him. But through all these times and the lack of sleep making Wilfre's patience begin to wear, he forced himself to remain calm and not get angry over it.

While Wilfre passed the bookshelf, Drew stared at it in awe, his mouth dropping open a little when he saw the giant roots literally pull out a book or two and moving it around to a new spot on another shelf. Even if the spine labels were written in unknown runes, he approached the bookshelf, pulling out a book in curiosity; and was a little calmer when the living roots didn't seem to mind him doing so. He skimmed though the pages, looking upon the pictures that lay in them, some bearing Raposa wearing what appeared to be Roman robes.

Drew soon put the book back and pulled out another, skimming that for images and finding pictures of Turtlerock and of the living roots. But like the other book, it was written in a way he didn't understand, so the information was lost on him. After a few more moments, a different noise caused Drew to put the book back where it was, padding to catch up to Wilfre once again.

"Wilfre, what is i-" Drew stopped when he caught up to him, seeing Wilfre having his sword drawn defensively toward a white fluffy bird not too far away from the blade. Even when the bird was as tall as two Raposa stacked together, the bird itself seemed quite harmless; although Wilfre couldn't be sure. Drew suddenly let out a small chuckle, approaching the bird. At first, Wilfre seemed surprised by this reaction, almost trying to stop him but Drew didn't notice or listen. It didn't take Drew long before he was right in front of the bird, reaching out a paw. Wilfre blinked, hoping that the bird wouldn't decide to bite the paw off.

The bird only looked down at the paw curiously while Drew reached forward more, then softly petting the bird along the side. In response, the bird let out a tiny, high-pitched _chirp_, appearing quite happy with the affection. Although he was a little confused, Wilfre slowly lowered the sword, before eventually realizing the bird wouldn't do any harm if he didn't do so first. From hearing the bird chirp, Drew couldn't help but make a soft yet happy expression as he soothed the bird with a quietly toned voice and a gentle paw.

"Aww, it's alright," Drew crooned while he continued to softly pet the bird, "We're not going to hurt you... Isn't that right, Wilfre?" As he said the last part, he'd turned toward the Raposa in question. At first Wilfre wasn't exactly sure how to respond, simply nodding a little afterwards. Drew let out a small, happy laugh at the reply anyway, turning back toward the bird. "See? We're friendly Raposa!" Wilfre soon lowered the sword altogether after a bit longer, putting it back into its sheath. He sighed quietly to himself, rubbing his eyes a little in sleepiness. The situation with Sly before really put him too far into a defensive mode, he realized.

Drew only continued to pet the bird until another roar of thunder made him yelp, clinging to the bird instead. In response, the bird apparently took the action the wrong way, using its beak to grab onto the back of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. The surprised Drew let out a small "What-" before the bird suddenly took to the air, heading back to its nest. Wilfre noticed this, his sleepy eyes suddenly widening and his mouth gaping a bit as well. The sight was ridiculous.

Wilfre could only run after the bird as it got closer to its nest, still carrying the slightly flailing Drew with its beak, now at this point chirping merrily. "Get back here!" Wilfre called as he followed, though the bird only ignored him. It was at this point the bird got to its nest at last, on top of a very high platform shelf on the wall. It was so high up that it required multiple jumps from lower platforms to reach it. Wilfre briefly wondered why there would be platforms like this in the first place, before ignoring the question and instead beginning to hop onto each platform.

Once Drew was set into the nest, the bird then settled itself into the nest as well, right next to Drew however. He was speechless and almost terrified of both the storm and what had just happened, hoping the bird didn't intend on doing something like feeding him worms. However the bird only seemed content in wanting to sleep, nudging Drew a little against it, as if to keep him warm. Oddly enough the closeness began to soothe him, even nuzzling his cheek against the bird softly.

Though Drew jumped a little again from surprise when it suddenly squawked; bringing him a bit closer as Wilfre hopped onto the platform containing the nest in question. Wilfre had half-expected this reaction but also was still a bit surprised by it at the same time. Either way he slowly approached the bird, trying to think of a way to get Drew back in a diplomatic manner. After all, the bird never really did anything harmful.

"Don't hurt her...!" Drew managed to say in an attempt to make sure Wilfre didn't suddenly draw his sword to attack. Wilfre couldn't help but roll his eyes but nodded anyway to humor him.

"I know, I know," he replied as calmly as he could, continuing to think shortly afterward. "But you can't really stay with the bir- Did you just call it a she?" Drew nodded in return, petting the side of the bird again as if to soothe 'her'.

"Yeah," he answered, a bit quieter now to suit said soothing, "Why?"

"Nothing really," Wilfre replied again, stepping a little closer to the nest, only to pause when the bird squawked again, louder now. "Just... How can you tell something like that right away?"

"Um..." Drew thought about this when he was asked, trying to shh the bird as well. After a bit longer, he replied more, "This is probably her home; her nest; building it on her own. But since she can't find a mate to bear baby birds, decided to try adoption..."

"I didn't really mean it that literally," Wilfre responded, facepawing a little. "Either way, how can I get it- or her, I suppose - to give you back?"

Drew nuzzled the bird a little more before he replied, now in a low, whispering voice. His eyes even eased shut when he spoke, "Earn Mama Bird's trust, Wilfre." If Wilfre hadn't been as tired and cranky as he was at the moment, he probably would've found this whole scene somewhat adorable. But instead, he sighed a little more, continuing to think. Once he had an idea, it seemed really idiotic to attempt. Doing what Drew had done, being compassionate and understanding to animals, had never been his thing. Plus, it also seemed a little embarrassing.

Though, if it was all for the sake of Drew not being forever trapped with this bird, it probably would be worth it.

Thus, Wilfre began to make his move, padding over to the nest in a slower pace, looking the bird in the eyes as well as he could. He lowered his own voice's volume as well as he began, "I will not hurt him, or you. He simply just doesn't belong here. He is a Raposa, after all." He paused once he was in front of the nest, the bird unsure of how to react to the gray-furred Raposa speaking to 'her' in such a suddenly soft voice. Of course, not only a softer tone and manner, but also heavy with reasoning. Then, ever so slowly, Wilfre brought out an arm, reaching a paw toward the bird. It was at this point where Wilfre was really feeling the embarrassment sink in, especially when he knew that Drew was now watching it all play out.

After a little more hesitation on his part, Wilfre's paw gingerly touched the soft feathers the bird possessed, slowly stroking the side up and down in a stagnant yet straightforward pattern. As he did this, Wilfre spoke some more. "He's a friend of mine, so I wouldn't hurt him. And I wouldn't hurt you; since you're not harmful in the least. Actually quite peaceful... So please, um, 'Mama Bird', as he wants to call you, let him be free?" After all that, Wilfre could feel the tiniest of blushes begin to creep onto his cheeks; dear Creator he really didn't like doing this, and in fact felt more like it was being forced out of him.

To their surprise, the bird decided to shift away from Drew, allowing him the freedom to escape if he wanted to. Although the bird also didn't seem happy about it, 'she' also seemed accepting of the change. Drew smiled at Wilfre, unable to resist letting out a small "Aww," of adorence; before he decided to pull himself out of the nest he was once in, patting the bird one more time as he did so. "Don't be sad Mama Bird; I'll be alright. After all, I have Wilfre and the others to look after me when I need to be. Though, I appreciate your care..."

While Drew did his little farewells, Wilfre however was already heading down the platforms once again, sighing a bit to himself. He mostly did this just so his tiny blush was better hidden from both Drew and the bird. Soon afterward, Drew followed, intending to only catch up to Wilfre but instead somehow overtook him, getting to the ground with ease. Like any other time however, Drew was really unsure of why it was so. Even if this happened and Wilfre rose an eyebrow in slight confusion, he managed to catch up within the minute.

Meanwhile, Drew didn't seem to stop there. He began to wander a little himself, now less afraid of the storm than before, thinking that it was a good thing either way. As he continued to wander, he passed by more books with shelves, along with statues of the robed Raposa he saw in one of the books before. He stopped at one of them, looking at it in awe while Wilfre soon caught up to him with a "Drew, slow down a little so I can-" and afterward stopped from seeing what Drew was doing.

"Wilfre, these Raposa look so old..." Drew only said in response, before turning his head to look at him instead, "How old do you think they are?" Wilfre blinked from the question, not really expecting it. He looked upon the statue now, seeing the various, though small and surfaced cracks along it. He also studied the style of the robes the statue wore, before replying at last.

"I'm not sure... Older than all of the Raposa in our village put together, that's for certain."

Drew mmmed a little in thought, before leaving the statue alone. Soon afterward, Wilfre was following again, now a little more interested in finding something, anything, to use as a temporary fix for the broken window. After a long while of looking, he stopped when he found some rubble in a certain spot, beginning to instead dig around in it. Drew was a bit confused by this but didn't stop him, and actually joined in. After a little while longer of digging around, Wilfre seemed to pull out what looked like a very long roll of tape. He studied it a little in his paws, before standing up and getting away from the pile of rubble altogether.

"I think this will work just fine..." he mused to himself, while Drew got up as well, looking at what Wilfre had in his paws and nodding with a smile.

"Yeah, that'll be perfect!" he replied standing next to Wilfre instead, seeing how much of the tape that remained on the roll. "That should be enough for the window, and maybe even some left for whatever else we might need it for." Wilfre nodded at the reply, smiling a little in triumph as he turned and started for the entrence of the Forgotten Library; while Drew quickly followed behind, but snuck a few of the ancient books as he headed out with Wilfre. Luckily Wilfre hadn't noticed this or just didn't care, so Drew smiled down at the books he held in his paws, not being able to wait to see what he could find in them.

As these books, even if still written in the unusual, ancient runes, were not the same ones he looked inside before. Well, one of them was, but not the others.

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><p>The robed Raposa rubbed his eyes a bit as his almost unbalanced steps made soft padding noises. Samuel hmmmed a bit sleepily as he afterward brought the robe closer to his body, shivering just a bit in the sudden coolness of the house they stayed in on Turtlerock. "So chilly all of a sudden," he muttered to himself quietly, making his way to the main room of the house. Of course, the storm continued to rage on, lightning strikes lighting the room for mere moments before fading; then quickly followed by a roar of loud thunder. In the space between the flash and roar, Samuel mentally counted the seconds that passed. "Forty feet away..."<p>

He paused when he saw one of the windows in particular, padding over to it quickly and studying it. It seemed that the window had shattered somehow, leaving dangerous and sharp glass that now remained on the border. Come to think of it, Samuel recalled hearing some sort of glass shattering noise in his sleep, but at first merely passed it off as something from his dream. Noises in dreams don't normally truly mean anything until you see something similar to it in reality; this Samuel believed with all his heart.

Yet the question he was now asking himself was simply this: Why did the window shatter? He continued to study the window for a while longer, then looking around for any glass shards. It already appeared as if someone tried to clean up the mess left behind. Maybe someone else had awoken from the noise and made the area safer for other Raposa to traverse...

Finally, in combined sleepiness and just flat-out not really caring too much about the situation, he shrugged to himself, padding into the kitchen for a glass of water. It didn't take long for Samuel to fill a glass with water, drink it down in a paced, calm matter, placing it where it was meant to go, and heading back out of the kitchen. As he padded by the main room again and toward the room he chose to sleep in, Samuel's back paw suddenly wettened as it landed against a fairly soaked spot on the carpet.

He instantly reeled back his back paw in surprise, before looking down at the spot, seeing that a fair amount of the spot was soaked with water, about as much that could fit in a glass of water... Samuel rose an eyebrow from a little bit of suspicion, wondering how in the world there was that much water in a spot like this. It was simply too far away from any sinks, and he was pretty sure the roof wasn't leaking. If it had been someone would've already noticed it by now. With a small sigh, he shook his head, before continuing onward to his room. Afterwards, he opened the door, padded inside and shut the door behind him.

Samuel decided it would be best to just ask about both the next morning; he was far too sleepy to really do anything about it at the time.


	24. 24 To The Moon

Updates might become slower than ever. On top of chapters becoming less easy to write, motivation killing me almost every single time, there is also the fact that a few personal things have been going on. Don't worry though, I'm fine.

So, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

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><p>24. To The Moon<p>

The next morning, Samuel hadn't been the only one in awe of the broken window; of which was now covered in tape for a temporary fix. Drew and Wilfre explained how Sly had invaded the house the previous night, and his attempt at murdering Drew because he had 'interferred' too many times with Sly's plans. The other Raposa, including Wilfre and Drew, were confused about why this could be, as of course Drew couldn't remember ever doing anything toward Sly. Though it was possibly only from the Amnesia he suffered, so there was a possibility that Drew could've actually done something. Especially given a certain line from Sly about him "playing innocent" or "dumb".

However, this made Drew feel bad, beginning to believe it was all his fault Sly tried to do such a thing to him; as well as in the past when he seemed to 'interfere'. However he was soon convinced otherwise by the others, mostly due to Sly not having any evidence to support such accusations against him. Then, continuing on with the explaination, they told of the deal Wilfre and Sly made about Drew regaining his memories, and then of course the small fiasco in the Forgotten Library. However, Drew didn't mention the books he took from there, not thinking it was important to say. While the others had began to worry a little over the bet they had made, Wilfre did his best to assure them that it was for the best. After all, the odds seemed more to his favor than anything else.

Eventually, they reluctantly nodded in agreement, although they still weren't so sure...

All was silent when Turtlerock's boarding point neatly connected into Galactic Jungle's, meanwhile the Raposa aboard disembarked one at a time. The first to was Mari, and then Jowee. Afterwards, they were followed by the others, including Wilfre, Zsasha, Drew, Dr. Cure, and Samuel. Samuel had taken a little more time before stepping into the futuristic city by looking at the features, his unhooded eyes widening from the sight of all the tall buildings and signs written in an odd language. Almost alien, it appeared.

_It brings back memories..._ Zsasha couldn't help but think to himself, smiling just a little from the humor of it all. In fact, he also remembered that Unagi and Cricket had portaled here with him, and soon he found himself blinking with a frown. _I wonder where they are..._

After observing the sight for a few more minutes, Jowee finally turned to Samuel, asking him "Didn't you say that the villages were corrupted, including this one?"

Samuel looked at Jowee in turn, before noticing the complete lack of shadow-related things, Raposa, goo, and etc. "Yes I did," he replied, a little confused about the sight now, "I'm sure of it."

Jowee rose an eyebrow, hmming a bit in thought. "Are you really, really sure?" he asked again, to which Samuel only nodded in reply.

"I am a Raposa of my word."

Mari thought to herself a little as well, noticing more than this apparent lack of shadow. "Actually... Where are the villagers? The S.P.U.D.s? The... The habitariums? Everything looks empty; deserted."

Dr. Cure came forward a bit, observing this as well while Drew quickly followed behind. "She's right," she answered, crossing her arms a bit in thought, "It's almost as if the place is now abandoned. But the question is; Why?" As they all continued to think about this, Wilfre however noticed a fairly tall object sitting near the center of the apparently abandoned city. He neverminded the sound of his back paws hitting the cold metal ground as he neared it, then raising an eyebrow curiously as he looked it over. It was like a mini bulletin board, with a note attached near the top, but then below it was a small square-like space. It appeared as if it was where a Raposa would place their paw onto it; maybe to scan their DNA signature.

Wilfre at first ignored the square, looking up at the note and beginning to read it in his mind, then a little surprised that it'd been written in the native language he was used to, rather than the one the Galactic Jungle was known for.

"_Greetings and Salutations, Visitors of the now ancient Democracy of the Republic of the People of the United Space Force,_

_I bet you are wondering where everyone and everything is!_

_Well I, Click, have written this and provided a hologramic projection of myself to help you understand why it is so._

_All you have to do is place your paw on the little black square. It won't hurt you, I promise!_

_I hope to see you visit our revamped city one day. The United Raposian Space Force will be glad to have you!_

_Sincerely,  
>Click<em>"

Wilfre thought a little to himself over this. The first thing he assumed was that the square was meant to be a somewhat password-protected device. If the wrong Raposa's paw was scanned, no answers would be given. He stared down at his own paw a little, then back at the square. He couldn't help but snicker a bit, knowing that Click might've locked his DNA signature out with this. Yet, the square called out to him, and so he couldn't help but place his pawpad firmly against the square. Sensing the sudden bodyheat generated, the scanner took action, a horizontal green line slowly making its way down, identifying his signature.

Once it finished, the light went out and Wilfre pulled back. To the right of the square was what seemed like a small projector, and so Wilfre had to take a few pawsteps back to be able to see a newly-formed hologram of Click. The hologram appeared smug, his eyes boring deeply into Wilfre's own from behind the glasses he wore, carrying a small beaker of Raposa blood. After another few moments of seeing this, Click suddenly let out a snicker that made Wilfre blink from the tone.

"Did you think I was an idiot, Wilfre?" the hologram began, wiggling the beaker a little, "Did you really think that even after what you did to not only me and our people, but our entire WORLD, that I wouldn't have a lock out system set up just for you? Oh, but don't be upset. You should be honored to have your own special hologram message. And I think it must be obvious to you by now, but I will say it anyway just so we're both on the same page." Click's hologram seemed to put away the beaker into his shirt pocket, before he continued some more. "Don't even try using Sock or Salem. I have those two locked out as well. I'm not stupid, Wilfre; I know all about your manical disguises." Here was a small pause as Click chuckled to himself.

Wilfre did want to reply, but also knew that the hologram couldn't actually talk to him. So, he was forced to just cross his arms and deal with the rest of the message. "Just remember this; YOU'RE the reason alone why we relocated. YOU'RE the one who allowed me to make this special lock-out system... So," Click suddenly stopped here, suddenly bursting out in triumphant laughter. In said laughter, his final words were "Good luck trying to find us, Wilfre!" before the hologram faded away.

The others had heard the whole speech, their eyes widened from it all from seeing Click say such things toward Wilfre. They of course already knew that this was probably done during the time where Wilfre couldn't be trusted with anything, but it was still rather surprising. Although Jowee still felt a bit bad from what he had done himself in the past, he couldn't help but say something. "He... Really has it in for you, huh?" Wilfre only sighed with a small, irritated scowl as he replied,

"I'm well aware of that." Mari came up next to Jowee, smacking him lightly with her paw, although he did let out a small yelp. Afterwards, she looked at the board as well, reading the note and looking down at the square.

"I wonder..." she murmurred to herself a little, before doing what Wilfre had done before, placing her own paw onto the square, watching as the green line scanned downward once again. She soon stepped back a little to let the projector bring up another Click hologram. This time, Click appeared more upset than smug or triumphant. The hologram, at first, only sighed sadly to himself with drooped ears, before looking where he seemed to believe Mari was facing.

"Mari, I'm sorry to say it, but you've been locked out as well; due to you assisting Wilfre in the past. Out of all the lock out systems I had to put in, this one is by far the hardest. Only if you remain on the just side will you find out. Now, good day to you, Mayor Mari." Mari's face seemed to fall from having to hear that message, her ears drooping low in regret. Wilfre couldn't help but look down at the ground now, also seeming to regret ever letting her join his side, since this apparently became the result.

Jowee seemed to put a paw on her shoulder now, dispite her smacking him a bit earlier. Samuel however, tilted his head a bit, as if he had heard something the others didn't. "Wait," he replied after the hologram had left, "Anyone know where I can get a pen and paper? I want to make sure I heard that right..."

"What's more to hear?" Mari replied quietly, though was a little curious at the same time. Drew decided to run off somewhere, searching for what Samuel had requested. While the others seemed confused at both Drew and Samuel, they got even more so when Drew had come back shortly after, pen and paper in his paws.

"What do you mean by 'heard it right'?" Wilfre asked him while Samuel took the paper and pen with a nod of gratitude. Samuel looked at him for a moment, thinking of how to answer. Then, he turned to Mari.

"Play it again, please." Mari blinked a bit sadly, but did as she was told anyway, doing the same thing as before and trying not to listen to the message. Meanwhile, Samuel wrote down a few things on the paper. When the message finished again, Samuel looked at what he wrote, crossing out a few letters. After a bit longer, he looked at the others, holding up the paper for them to see. "It wasn't entirely a lock out. It was a secret code." The others looked at the paper, seeing the remaining letters on it.

_MOON_

"Moon?" Jowee repeated when he read it, "You don't think he actually..."

"Maybe you should try, Jowee," Samuel replied again, setting the paper down now, "Click might tell us more that way." Jowee blinked a bit, before he nodded, proceeding to do what Wilfre and Mari both did before. Though, as he saw the line scan his signature, he couldn't help but blush just a little at the thought of this as indirectly holding Mari's paw...

Soon he stepped back again when it finished, and he, along with the others, watched the hologram appear for the third time. Unlike the first when he appeared smug, or the second when he was upset, the third showed him grinning widely in welcome.

"Once again, welcome to the now ancient Democracy of the Republic of the People of the United Space Force!" Click greeted cheerily, "As you probably already read, yes we have relocated. I'm sorry it has to be this way, especially with the long journey you had to go through to come all the way here in the first place, then only now learning that we've relocated. However, there's no need to turn around and leave; I will be more than happy to show you where we moved to and how to get there, simple as that!"

"Now, where have we relocated, you ask?" Click continued, while the others listened in eagerly for the answers, "Why, we've moved to the natural satellite of the planet we live on; the Moon. We have figured out wonderful ways to live and survive on it, so there is no need for concern or alarm. Now you're probably asking why the Moon of all places? Well... Let's just say there was a color incident that caused us to move, in a way where the Rapoing pile of Baki dung responsible could never find us again." During that last part, Wilfre couldn't help but droop a bit from the words, though he did somewhat expect it to happen.

"Now the question is; how are we supposed to get there?" Click kept on, then pointing off in a direction, "Don't need to worry about that, either! Before the United Raposian Space Force left the place entirely, we built some nice rocketships specially designed to take you to our new location, so no piloting skills are neccessary. Once you arrive, the ship will then go back to the ancient area for others to do the same thing. Oh, but the important thing is that the ships are also password protected, so that said pile of Baki dung still can't get to us even if the pathetic evil-doer tried." After this Click seemed to chuckle a little at the thought, while Wilfre again drooped, but this time in a more irritated manner.

"Thus, I will leave you with my consolences," Click went on now, almost finished with the speech, "And the URSF hope to see you visit our lovely lunar city! Have a nice day." After this, Click's hologram faded away, and the others were left to think about how to reach their destination for a brief moment.

"So Samuel was right..." Jowee said again after it finished up, looking over where the hologram had pointed now. "So all we have to do is get on one of those rockets and fly there..." The Raposa nodded at this, beginning to head off in that direction. However, from a tall, metal piller, a Shadow Raposa had watched the entire scene, before snickering wickedly.

"So THAT'S where the mustached fool put them all," he sneered to himself, before looking up into the sky and seeing the Moon itself, glistening in the reflected light brought in by the Sun. "You see Mayor Click, I'm not as stupid as YOU make me out to be..."

He watched the Raposa head over to the rockets area, following them a little. Soon, he decided the time was right, making himself undistinguishable as his entire Shadow Gooed form stretched upward into the airless sky, straight toward the Moon. As he did so, his laughter became more and more distorted as the satellite came closer and closer, soon being the only thing the Shadowed Raposa could see. Still in an undistinguishable form, his glowing pure white eyes scanned the surface of the satellite, until he saw what appeared to be a fairly large settlement. His also glowing mouth curled up into a wide smile while his eyes narrowed in a glare.

"Time to make my entrence," he said to himself with another cackle, spiralling down toward it in a very fast speed, "Ah, aren't loopholes absolutely grand?"


	25. 25 Under New Management

Hey everyone and welcome back Sobari. I've missed your reviews. I also miss Sensitive Girl as well...

Also, I will say immediately that Drew is NOT Isaac, Indee, or Mike. Keep trying!

So, enjoy this new, exciting chapter, everyone! And once again, thanks for the reviews.

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><p>25. Under New Management<p>

It didn't take the Shadowed Raposa long at all to reach the station where rockets would depart and arrive, landing in a loud thud followed by a small quake from the force and speed he had been using. The two S.P.U.D. guards that stood by jumped in surprise, before approaching the now mass of Shadow Goo. Before they could ask about it, the mass suddenly changed into the form of a male, ponytailed Raposa. The two S.P.U.D.s jumped back again in surprise when this happened. The Shadowed Raposa only cackled at their fear, even when they raised their guns for self-defense.

"Whoever or whatever you are, don't take another step!" one of the S.P.U.D.s cried out, almost ready to fire. "We won't hesitate to shoot!" The Shadowed Raposa only cackled more, finding their little display of defense amusing. He simply crossed his arms with a wicked grin, two fake arms coming out of his Shadowed back. Before the S.P.U.D.s could react to this, he started to walk toward them, the fake hands lifting them both off the ground, their guns being swept out of their paws. In one good throw, the S.P.U.D.s were sent flying into the walls, while he pressed onward.

The one who was conscious managed to make his way to an emergency lever, pulling it down as soon as he could, then passing out when the alarms rang. The Shadow Raposa paused with perked ears when the noises commenced with bright red flashes of light, but shrugged it off and kept on going.

"Stop where you are!" Another S.P.U.D. cried out, around ten more of them following behind. "Just who do you think you are? And where do you think you're going?"

"Why," the Raposa sneered again, then getting out more and more fake arms as well as remolding his normal ones, "I am Sly Hazard And Design Of Wilfre. But just save your breath and refer to me simply as Sly."

"Well Mr. Sly," was one of the S.P.U.D.s reply, "You're under violation of various URSF codes, including 14a, 63b, 70c-" Sly simply rolled his glowing eyes, before his arms charged at them all, grabbing each and throwing them against each other before they had the chance to attack. Then, using two of the arms, he planted them firmly on the ground, using them to lift his own body up and leaping over the pile of now unconscious S.P.U.D.s. When on his back paws again, he looked back over his shoulder, then snickering from the sight before continuing onward once again.

"There he is!" More S.P.U.D.s announced firmly when Sly began to quicken his still casual pace, charging toward him but failing to even make one scratch on him as his arms provided such excellent defense. Grabbing onto one in particular, the S.P.U.D. even began to beg for mercy, which caused Sly to cackle.

"Very well, I will spare your fragile conciousness," he replied to the S.P.U.D, before dropping him to the ground roughly, "As long as you let Click know that I'm coming to visit him." Without another thought, the S.P.U.D. nodded vigorously and took off. Ignoring the other S.P.U.D.s and even Sly himself as the latter wreaked more havoc with his apparently new 'toys', he made it to an elevator, hopping inside and quickly pushing a button to take him to Click's personal floor. The S.P.U.D. waited impatiantly, hoping to get to the floor soon or else something really bad could happen to him or others.

From the aforementioned floor, two Raposa were in a room, the room belonging to the Mayor of the lunar city of URSF, Click. Click was sitting in his chair at his desk when the other Raposa, a ginger-fur with large glasses, had padded inside the room with him. In his paws he carried a large box, though it seemed like both him and Click knew what was inside.

"It took me a while to get it just right," the Raposa began, setting the box down onto the table, "But your Honest And Nimble Digit Simulator commission is finally finished and ready for use." After saying this, the Raposa dusted his paws off with an accomplished expression.

"Oh Isaac, I knew you'd be able to come through for me," Click replied with a grin, bringing the box closer to him, before getting up from where he sat. "And as promised, your payment will be well worth the effort, as we agreed before your arrival."

"Oh yes," Isaac nodded with a chuckle, watching as Click made his way to a secret hall, then following, "I can't wait to get home, too. I feel like I've been here forever."

"My apologies, Isaac," Click sighed a bit to himself in empathy, getting over to a door and pulling open a panel to scan his DNA into the newly found black square, "I never intended on keeping you from your family and friends for this long. I'll tell you what; I'll not only pay you for your time and effort for my commission, but I'll also coordinate your ride to your home's exact location. Does that sound better than trekking all the way back to our ancient home and across the sea on Turtlerock?"

Isaac's eyes glimmered with a wider smile at that idea, nodding again. "Yes, that sounds wonderful!"

"Alright, then it's settled, just as soon as I-"

The sound of rapid pawsteps and rushing into the door stopped both Isaac and Click cold, both turning to face the source of the noise and finding a S.P.U.D, panting for air and seeming to be in quite a hurry.

"S.P.U.D. ranger Hoaka!" Click cried out, abandoning the DNA scanner and rushing to the desheveled S.P.U.D.'s side. "What is the matter? What is the meaning of thi-"

"An inky Raposa..." Hoaka panted, then only managing out a little more before he collasped, "He wanted me to tell you that he is coming to see you." Isaac followed Click, bending down near the now fallen Hoaka. Meanwhile, the news shocked Click immediately, of course knowing too well what the S.P.U.D. meant by those words.

"But that's impossible..." he couldn't help but mutter bitterly to himself in anger now, "I completely locked out that meddling Wilfre! Both at the bulletin board AND with all of the speciallized rockets to get here!"

"Wilfre..." Isaac repeated to himself a little, then sighing as he added only in a thought. _He never learns, does he...?_

"Maybe I should go to him," Isaac then continued, as if to allow Click to calm down, knowing of his past with Wilfre.

"No," Click simply replied, heading to his desk once again, with a more offended glare but not at Isaac. "Your work is done here, and just need payment and a ride home. There is no need for you to be involved in this." As he said this, he reached under his desk, pulling out a pair of unusual boots, then slipping them on. After he had done so, Click opened the box that was still on his desk, pulling out the pair of what appeared to be giant, metal hands. "You did say that my H.A.N.D.S. were ready for use, correct?"

"Yes, but..." Isaac started in reply, but stopped when Click didn't listen to any more, slipping the mechanical hands over his paws like they were gloves, even flexing the fingers out and in again in a bit of practice.

"Then I think it's time to take them for a spin," Click replied, clinking his boots together, which caused them to expel some kind of fuel as he was lifted off the ground. "I want to make sure our Shadow Gooed guest is treated in the best way possible. After all, the URSF is VERY well known for it's hospitality..."

Sly chortled in glee as he heard the cries and screams of various S.P.U.D.s as he juggled them in his fake hands, them being fairly away from the ground. He picked up another, and another, and another still, adding them all to his juggling collection. He laughed harder, watching them all while the hands worked tirelessly. "You call yourselves defending rangers of the URSF?" Sly said while he did this, then laughing again at the position he had placed them into, "Please. Even a lowly BAKI could defend this place better than you!"

"Set them down NOW, Wilfre!" Yelled out a Raposa from a small distance, which approached quickly as well. Sly paused a bit, now only grasping the S.P.U.D.s in his fake hands, looking back behind him toward the source of the noise. "They are NOT your toys, you putrid fiend!" Sly looked at the approaching Raposa more, seeing that he was making his own entrance on a pair of jetboots, and also wearing a giant pair of metal hands that were also under the mustached Raposa's control. Sly simply chuckled, but did as he was told and letting the S.P.U.D.s flee for their lives, along with some stray villagers whom had began to panic long before.

"Your so-called S.P.U.D.s are incompetant fools," Sly replied when the approaching Raposa was soon near him, though still floating on his jetboots, "Especially the one I had sent to tell you of my presence. Honestly, didn't even tell you who I was?"

"Hoaka didn't need to tell me who you were," the Raposa sneered bitterly, narrowing his eyes in discust, "I could never forget how badly you betrayed us all, Wilfre. And now, I won't ever forget the upcoming memory of me pounding you down into Shadow dust for even showing your discusting face here!"

"My, such a violent-speaking Mayor," Sly replied again with crossed arms, not at all intiminated by the threat, "Also, I'll have you know that I am not Wilfre. Sly Hazard And Design Of Wilfre, also known as Sly, if you will. Though, I still can't believe I need to repeat myself."

"You can't fool me again, you manipulative little freak," Click scowled as his mechanical hands clenched tightly from his rage, "Whoever you want to call yourself, it's still the same to me." All but two of Sly's fake hands disappeared into his back again, while the remaining two cracked their knuckles while he huffed in triumph.

"If you're so smart, then you must know why I'm here," Sly simply answered, his fake arms appearing more menacing now, "So if you do, I suggest you simply surrender now. Let's face it Mayor Click; your forces are weak; even thirty of them couldn't even touch me! In the end, there is no outcome where I lose against you..." Click stared at the hands, a little fearful at what they were capable of.

"What ARE you planning?" he finally asked, his voice low with hatred, "Why couldn't you follow the instruction and stay away?"

"Let's just say my empire on the Raposa planet is having... Difficulties," Sly answered cooly, ignoring the other question entirely however, "So I need your futuristic city to help make it strong again, is all. Yeah sure, all of your little inhabitants, including yourself, will become corrupted, Shadowed Raposa; but you'll all be stronger beings that way. Now, do you want to settle this the easy way, or the hard way?"

Click growled at this, clenching the mechanical hands into tight fists at this point. He immediately denied such an atrocious offer. "I would rather die than hand over this city and everyone in it to a monster like you."

"That COULD be arranged..." Sly cackled as he said this, but afterwards tsked a little, "But I think you would be more worth being a Shadow Raposa. You'd still be in control of the city, you know. Not all is lost..." When Click only shook his head more, Sly sighed warily, shrugging before adding "Well, I tried to be diplomatic; but you fools never listen. Very well, force it is." Click had no time to react to the words, as suddenly the fake hands lunged at him. He let out a gasp, using his jets to fly out of reach. Once collected, he growled again, becoming defensive now as he flew back down at Sly to attack.

Sly used the fake arms to shield himself, but then let out a shriek of pain as Click yelled out a battle cry, followed by one of the mechanical fists tearing right through them. The broken in half fake arms fell to the metal ground, molding into mere Shadow Goo while Sly afterward tried to overcome the intense feeling of pain. Click however didn't even give him the time to recover, shooting downward more and landing more strong punches against his Shadowed body with the hands, not planning on stopping for anything. Soon Sly had hit the ground, dazed from the relentless attacking. Click wasted no time in grabbing him by the chest, then throwing him across the area in the city, Sly crashing against a habitarium.

Around him, the remaining villagers cheered Click on as they watched, meanwhile Sly soon finally recovered, getting back onto his backpaws, hissing in rage. Click merely continued to float in the air with his jets, staring the Shadow Being down. Soon Sly struck again, charging forward and even jumping into the air, right toward Click. As planned, it caused Click to fly back in defense, actually hitting him once more with the hands, sending him crashing straight down to the ground again, but unfortunately nearby the Shadow Goo. Letting out a wicked laugh, Sly stuck a paw into the Goo, absorbing it into his body, regenerating his fake arms, and actually making them stronger than before. After this was done, he got up onto his backpaws again, looking right up at Click.

Click could only watch as this occured, before trying to fly back more with widened eyes as the hands lunged at him again. This time however, they didn't stop lunging, due to Sly beginning to fly after him. Letting out a gasp of fear, Click continued to flee in his flight, higher into the air now and trying to outfly the chasing arms as they reached for him. Sly began to cackle as he continued to chase, before Click changed plans, looping in a large circle suddenly. This caused Sly to become a bit confused, his arms finally stopping as he searched for the now disappeared Mayor.

Then, Sly let out another yelp of pain from Click's attack from behind, punching not only against Sly's body but also the arms; and to his surprise didn't even budge or break apart like last time. Sly recovered quicker from the barrage, attacking Click in return and using his fake hands to grab onto him. With another gasp, Click immediately struggled, before lifting the jets into Sly's face and using the ejected, hot fuel against him. Sly yelled out in pain from the burning sensation on his face, letting go of Click in hopes of it ceasing. Sly soon growled deeply now, actually getting pretty irritated by how well this Mayor was defending his will off.

_Oh, but I have the energy resources of two Raposa,_ he thought to himself, the growl turning into a snicker, _Click does not. It's only a matter of time; he will tire out..._

Click flexed the fingers of his mechanical hands, his nerves tense and adrenaline pumping in his veins, keeping him alert and focused on what could be Sly's next move. When one of the fake hands lunged for him again, he slammed his own mechanical one against it, sending it flying back. This process began with another, and another, and another still. Each hand rebuttal caused Click to move backward slightly, while Sly came forward. Once he felt Click was distracted enough, Sly suddenly came at him with full force, two actually grabbing onto his mechanical ones. With a gasp of surprise, Click did all he could to pull the hands off of his own, but it failed and he was left flailing like crazy.

Sly laughed from the pitiful sight of him doing this, until eventually the force Click had been attempting caused the hands to be removed, Click's paws becoming freed. Click found himself letting out a yelp of fear, followed by a gulp as Sly simply absorbed the mechanical hands into his body with an evil chuckle.

"Not so strong now, are you?" he simply stated, while Click suddenly took off on his jets, attempting to flee. Sly cackled, quickly following after him and soon using a fake hand to encase the Mayor into it's grip, yelling out "Oh no you don't! You're mine now to control, and you're going to have to accept it..." While Click struggled violently in the grip, Sly pulled the hand back towards him, until the two were face to face.

"You sick, twisted demon..." Click seethed even though he was afraid for his life. Sly only put one of his paws to his hip, scoffing lightly until a small ball of Shadow Goo appeared in the other. Lifting the ball up, he pressed it firmly against Click's forehead.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone called me that," he simply replied, and whatever else he would say next was cut off as Click let out the loudest, most painful scream made in his entire life; unable to fight against the force of Shadow Goo as it covered his body in it's black ink. It soon muffled and died away abruptly when the Goo covering him became in control, the glasses lens of his eyes becoming a pair of glowing white ones, and coupled with an equally glowing white grin. It became a wicked laugh, and soon Sly found himself releasing the now corrupted Click. His facial expression changed into a soft, kind smile as the once absorbed mechancial hands came out of his body again, in his paws now.

"Take these and make others join you," he instructed, as Click placed them over his Shadowed paws, soon enough the metal coating being covered in the Shadow Goo. "Make your new leader proud."

"I won't disappoint you, Sly," Click replied eagerly, before taking off, oddly enough going straight back where he was once before. But Sly didn't mind this one bit, believing Click knew what he was doing now. So instead of following, Sly decided to take his leave.

Meanwhile, from where they remained in the building, Isaac was lightly nudging a paw against the fallen S.P.U.D. ranger, hoping he would get up soon. "Hoaka, please!" he said as he did so, sighing a little to himself with drooping ears, "You have to get up! What if something bad were to happen?" Eventually, the ranger seemed to stir, opening his eyes a bit and looking at his surroundings.

"What... What happened?" he asked Isaac, while he was a little relieved now, smiling a bit.

"Wilfre happened," he said at first, before adding in assurance, "But Mayor Click is dealing with him, and I'm sure he knows what he's doing. But either way, I think we need to evacuate, just in case." Hoaka nodded, starting to get up with Isaac. "Um, do you know how to pilot a rocket, Hoaka?"

"Of course!" Hoaka replied, a bit prideful but not too much so, "All S.P.U.D. rangers get trained in flying a rocket. So I could easily get us somewhere on the planet that's safer... But where should we go?"

"Hm..." Isaac thought about this, before he replied more, "Well if it's Wilfre up to his evil things, the Village where I come from probably isn't so safe to go to. A shame, really, because I was looking forward to getting home to Mya and Cindi..." Hoaka rose an ear and drooped the other, raising an eyebrow as well in confusion. "Err, my wife and daughter," Isaac added, to which Hoaka understood this time.

"If Wilfre was able to get here, he probably passed by the ancient city of URSF," Hoaka soon replied with the thinking, "And probably butchered the place up as well... Isaac, right?" Isaac nodded a little after the pause. "Have you heard of Watersong? Or Lavasteam?"

Once again, Isaac nodded, sighing a little from the memories. "Yes, I know those places. Are you suggesting we go to either? It might work... Maybe even visit both and spread the news about Wilfre's return. That is, if they haven't already heard or done something about it..." The train of thought was interrupted when a glass window shattered apart, followed by a thud sound as another Raposa entered the room from there. Flinching, both Isaac and Hoaka turned to face the newcomer; and seeing Click, but now corrupted in Shadow Goo.

"C...Click?" Isaac started, then gasping and taking a pawstep back and shaking his head, his face falling in dispair. "No... Wilfre... What did Wilfre DO to you?" Click simply padded over to the two, one of the mechanical hands flexing slightly. Isaac began to shake like a leaf while Hoaka reached to pull out his gun to defend both him and Isaac.

"Stop where you are!" he cried out, making a brave face as he pointed the gun at Click, "I know you're our Mayor, but it doesn't give you any right to... To... Do whatever it is you're doing!" Click sneered from the idle threat, turning his attention to Isaac instead. Noticing this, Isaac's mind worked as fast as it could to come up with some sort of plan. At long last, he realized that for it to work, he'd need to be bait, a distraction; meanwhile Hoaka would be free to evacuate. So with this in mind, Isaac stepped back once more, reaching into a pocket and pulled out what looked like an ordinary hammer.

"Hoaka, get out of the URSF," Isaac tried to get out, glaring at Click now, "Don't worry about me; I'll be alright. Just go."

"But-" Hoaka butted in, but lowered his weapon a little as Isaac interrupted him by repeating the last two words but in higher volume. From this, Hoaka turned and left the room, as swiftly as he could. Isaac held the hammer firmly, pressing a button on the handle and then weilding it in both paws as it changed form; now it being a much larger hammer than before, but still fairly light in weight.

"Isaac, Isaac, Isaac," Click scoffed this time, his voice tainted. "Don't resist what I'm about to do. It's a lot less painful to just accept your fate." Isaac shook his head, holding the hammer tightly as he drew it back to attack defensively. Click rolled his eyes at the sight, before stepping back himself.

"Why do you hate Wilfre so much?" he suddenly asked, in a calm tone. Isaac wasn't sure how to respond to this sudden question, looking away for a moment then back at Click. When Isaac didn't answer, Click continued, "It wasn't even him, by the way. It was his Shadow Goo child, Sly. Actually, do you have any idea what it was like to be him at that point of time? Being covered in Shadow Goo?" Isaac refused to answer at first, still stepping back, his instincts overriding any emotion he felt at the moment; the only focus being survival. Suddenly, Click decided to use one of the mechanical hands, gripping the hammer being weld by Isaac, then roughly pulling it away from him and tossing it across the room.

Isaac gasped from suddenly finding himself defenseless, starting to pad away more but was soon against the wall while Click padded forward more, until he was inches from Isaac. "All these years, and you still hate him. Will you hate him forever? Perhaps it is your lack of forgiveness that made him this way. Your hatred scars him, Isaac." Isaac stared fearfully into Click's pools of white, his body shaking terribly and also wondering why Click would even suddenly bring up a topic like this. Isaac never even mentioned to him the past he and Wilfre shared...

"Click, stop...! It's not like y-" Isaac began but was interrupted when Click pulled him by the overall straps, the other mechanical hand forming a ball of Shadow Goo on a finger.

"Now you'll finally be able to understand his pain and suffering, Isaac," he only replied, firmly placing the ball against Isaac's forehead as he afterward began to wail in fear and struggle madly. "Maybe then, by learning the hard way, you'll come to forgive him at last. Then the true healing between you two can begin."


	26. 26 Things That Matter

Don't worry, the mystery of Drew's identity will become clear in time. Have another new chapter, and this time, this is split in two parts in one! Both happen at the same time, so you can skip to the bottom part and then read the top, or vice versa. Enjoy the reading, and thanks again for reviewing.

A little character development ensues in this one. Something will happen next chapter, I promise.

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><p>26. Things That Matter<p>

The Raposa had split up into two rocketships, due to the rockets themselves only able to support four occupants at a time. Wilfre, Samuel, Dr. Cure and Drew occupied one ship, while Mari, Jowee and Zsasha went on the other. The coordinated ships had detected their presence in the ship (but of course since a Raposa who wasn't Wilfre activated both, disregarded him as a lock out) and soon took off into the stars, toward the Moon and the lunar city described by Mayor Click.

(The following events take place at the same time as each other. Read either at your choosing.)

-MARI, JOWEE AND ZSASHA-

Once inside, Zsasha had immediately gone off somewhere private, much to both Mari and Jowee's confusion. Yet they shrugged, letting Zsasha go and do whatever he wanted to do; as they both knew there probably wasn't anything that was worth stealing, anyway.

Once Zsasha had found a room to be alone in (one of the smallest bedrooms he'd ever seen), he sighed a bit to himself, relaxing as he sat on the bedside, pulling his backpack off and setting it down beside him on the floor. For a few moments he simply sat there in thought, then putting his paws over his mask, feeling the fabric a little. He frowned deeply, eying a nearby mirror on the side wall.

_What are you doing to yourself, Zsasha?_ he thought to himself, not at all liking who he was seeing in the mirror. _At first it was to help my family, but then it became greed, then for spoiling a young Rapogirl named Lily... And at Watersong, what was it for? What was it FOR?_ He frowned more in these thoughts, shutting his eyes for another moment, before reopening them as his paws went to the back of his head, untying the small knot keeping his mask on his face. Once it was undone, his paws lifted the mask away, blinking a few times.

He looked at the mirror a second time, now greeted with what was now a normal Raposa face, with steel teal eyes staring back at him. _Now, why couldn't I have always been like this?_ he wondered to himself, then looking away from the mirror. Instead, he eyed the backpack, taking a paw onto a zipper and unzipping one of the many pockets it had. He dug a paw inside the pocket and pulled something out; a photograph of some sort. Just looking at the image, it made his ears droop with homesickness. From the image, there were two adult Raposa, one male and another female, followed by several children. A pair of twin brothers, a middle child, a smaller brother and a baby sister. All the family members had gray fur, save for the mother, daughter and the younger brother; the girls having light brown hair, while the younger brother had the same color fur, but with gray tippings.

_Emil, Tobias, me, Nicolas, and Kendel,_ Zsasha easily recited the children, then the parents, _Daniel_ _and Cathy..._ He sighed another time, looking deeper at the picture, more specifically at baby Kendel. _I wonder how they're holding up with one less mouth to feed... Do they miss me? Though, from what I turned into, I don't blame them if they don't want anything to do with me anymore..._

At last, he folded the image up once more, putting it back in the backpack before his barely formed tears could drizzle down his face. The image was so emotionally powerful, that just looking at it could drive him to depression and tears. Soon, he lay back on the bed, flipping onto his side and away from the door. Afterwards, he slowly shut his eyes to rest them, having one last thought running in his mind before he drifted off to sleep.

_I hope Lily is alright, too..._

Mari was sitting by a window, watching the stars fly by while the rocket guided both toward the lunar city of URSF. From the current speed and rate of travel, it looked like it would take the rest of the day and even night to reach port. From where she sat, she was able to think about a lot of things; more specifically what had occurred before. Sure, it was just in the past now, but still... It hurt a lot to know it couldn't be forgotten easily, even if she would be forgived.

She soon perked her ears up as she heard the soft pawsteps made by Jowee, followed by a small noise to gain her attention. "Hey, Mari," he only greeted her at first, before coming forward more and sitting beside her. At first, he didn't even notice her trains of thought whirring in her mind, so he continued on idly, "There's only two bedrooms, and Zsasha just claimed one for himself, so... I guess we'll have to share a room. But you know, we're best friends, so that shouldn't be a problem, right?" He paused to wait for an answer. Looking at her expression, which appeared pretty distant and almost sad, he frowned with a sigh; his ears drooping a little even, the whole situation becoming a bit awkward.

"What's wrong, Mari?" he couldn't help but ask, an unknown urge overcoming him and caused him to scoot a bit closer to her, "It doesn't have anything to do with what the Click hologram said, does it?" She still didn't respond in any way, so he scratched the back of his neck a little with a paw, eying the window as well. "I'm sure he didn't mean what he said... He probably wrote those speeches a long time ago! If he really didn't think you wouldn't side with us again, he wouldn't have put in that secret code for us..."

This time, Mari finally nodded a little, but didn't say anything in return. Jowee blinked a little, scooting closer again, hoping she wouldn't mind that now, their hips were just inches apart from each other. Noticing just how close he got, Jowee couldn't hold back a small blush from creeping on his cheeks, looking away in hopes she wouldn't notice. Finally, after what seemed a long time, Mari suddenly laid her head on Jowee's shoulder, shutting her eyes softly as she replied, "I know, Jowee... But it doesn't make it hurt any less..."

Jowee blushed harder from Mari's action, but didn't dare pull away or complain, putting an arm around her shoulders in comfort and in welcome, it bringing her just a tiny bit closer. Mari didn't seem to mind it, though, which made Jowee relax. "Yeah, that's a good point..." he said at first, thinking hard on how to make her feel better. "But you know what? I bet when Mayor Click sees us all, he'll learn to understand that you did join back to us, and that Wilfre changed. It'll all be fine once we get there... Plus, I kind of wonder what the place looks like now."

Mari smiled a little softly at the thought, catching on to what Jowee was trying to do. "Hopefully, they put in a dress code, or something," she replied, while Jowee at first opened his mouth to answer that but was interrupted when Mari spoke up more, "If you say what I think you're going to say, I'll claw your face harder than last time." Instead, Jowee chuckled nervously, keeping his thoughts to himself, even if they weren't really his own anymore. Instead, it was more or less a cover for where his true feelings lay.

"But I... You know I was kidding, right Mari?" he couldn't help but ask, though afterward rested his head softly on hers, "You know I'm not like that... Well, you know, out loud and all..." Mari giggled a bit from the words, then sighing with a larger but still small smile on her face.

"Since you find those girls attractive," she replied afterward, then adding kiddingly, "Am I to you?"

Jowee immediately blushed again from being asked that, shuffling his back paws a bit against the metal floor of the rocket. "Of course I... I mean, uh... I think you're very pretty," he soon answered, "In fact, Mari, I... I lo...Bet you'll find someone wonderful who'll think even better..." Oh, how he wished he could say what he really wanted, but even in this nice moment, nervousness always caused him to suddenly rephrase it so it meant something different. Mari thought about this a little, before replying again, though more softly now as she was getting sleepy pretty fast.

"Like who?"

"Um..." Jowee thought a bit himself, at first not saying anything, until he added, "I don't know... Maybe, just an example... Wilfre?" Mari opened her eyes again, now confused by the words Jowee just spoke.

"Wilfre?" she repeated, "Why him?"

"It was just an example..." Jowee almost immediately said in reply, "But I wouldn't be surprised. He's, you know, more mature and, well... Back when we were just starting off for Galactic Jungle, he seemed like an expert on that sort of thing..." _I wish it was just an example,_ he afterwards added only in a thought.

Mari rolled her eyes, before shutting them contently with another soft sigh. "I'm way too young for him, though. He's twenty-four, right? I'm just sixteen, Jowee... Plus, I think lately he's been eying Dr. Cure a lot..." Right after this was a soft giggle, which made Jowee change his expression to one of confusion.

"Really...?" he replied in the confused tone, "Huh... Didn't think he'd be wanting to chase after her..."

"You didn't notice when we split up into the ships, when Dr. Cure went in the one with Drew and Samuel?" Mari responded more, even softer toned than before, "Wilfre followed right after her like a lost Rapo. Believe me, Jowee. I think he likes her."

Jowee hmmed a little in response, but didn't really say anything more. Instead, he continued to hold onto Mari, listening as she soon was falling asleep. He knew he should wake her just to let her know that it was time to sleep, but just the way she was falling asleep on him like this... But Mari seemed pretty comfortable with where she was right now, and Jowee himself had to admit he didn't want to move, either. It wasn't often anymore when they had time to themselves; being so busy with trying to save their world from Sly's malicious rein.

No, this moment can last longer. After everything so far, Jowee decided with a small smile, it was well-deserved. So, he shut his eyes, letting sleep claim the both of them.

-WILFRE, SAMUEL, DR. CURE AND DREW-

"Well, it looks like there's good news, and bad news," Dr. Cure had announced to the three Raposa after they'd briefly surveyed the inside of the ship, "Though, the bad news isn't really so bad, depending on how you are. What do you guys want to hear first?" They thought for a bit, looking at each other before Wilfre decided to speak up.

"Bad news, because then the good will make it seem less bad," was his response, before turning to Drew and Samuel again. "What about you two?" Drew blinked from the question, before answering,

"Good news? I really like positives..." After this, Wilfre seemed to nod a little, considering the option before turning to Samuel. He however remained silent for a few moments longer.

"We must brace ourselves with the worst," he coined in, his tone calm as ever, "Then heal with the better. It, along with time, will lessen the pain until it is no more." Again, Wilfre nodded, interpreting the answer as the same as his own, before turning to Dr. Cure again.

"Well, the votes goes to bad news," he replied to her, "So let's hear that first." While Drew seemed a bit down over being the losing vote, Samuel patted his shoulder comfortingly with a soft smile.

"Alright," Dr. Cure began again, before letting out a small sigh. "The bad news is that there are only two bedrooms, each with a single bed. Which means they'll have to be shared. Plus, the rooms are pretty small as well, not a lot of room to work with. But if you don't roll that way, that's what makes it bad news." While Wilfre and Drew didn't seem to find anything wrong with the news itself, Samuel's face suddenly appeared as though he was uncomfortable; closed in. In fact, he padded backward slowly, gaining distance from the other three in the room, until he was met with a sofa. Studying it for a moment, he soon sat on the middle of it, smiling a bit to himself.

"I'll sleep here," he simply stated, while the others eyed him a bit. Dr. Cure was confused on why, but Wilfre and Drew understood quite well; based on a past experience.

"That... Works too, I guess," she soon replied with a shrug, then looked back at the two Raposa. "Well, now the bad news is deciding who's the lucky Rapo with a room to themself. Luckily, we're not children, so there won't be any fighting over it, right?" As she paused, she overheard Wilfre unable to hold back an amused snicker. Raising an eyebrow, she couldn't help but smile a bit in mischief. "And just what is so funny, Wilfre? Is there something you'd like to share with us?"

Wilfre immediately shut up with drooping ears. He turned his gaze away from her and the others as he replied, "It's nothing important." _Just that Drew would be the luckiest Raposa alive if he got to share a room with Dr. Cure,_ he couldn't help but add in a thought. Right after it, he blinked in wonder. Now where did a thought like THAT come from? Of course, Dr. Cure was a fair and nice Raposa; even trained in practicing medicine, but... Was she more than that? If so, what, exactly?

While in these thoughts, he almost didn't notice Drew prodding him lightly on the shoulder to grab his attention. Blinking a little as he came back to reality, he looked over at him a little. "Wilfre, are you done... Spacing out?" he couldn't help but ask in this manner, then the both of them noticing that Dr. Cure actually giggled at the pun.

_She likes puns, _Wilfre thought to himself again, but didn't lose focus this time, but soon the thought became a bit more fearful, _Oh Creator he's going to end up with the same room as her I just know it! No! I won't allow it! No; I won't lose to him..._

"I think it would be best to decide by playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors," Dr. Cure soon said again, while the tension went unnoticed by her, "Whoever wins gets the room. No ifs, ands, or buts. Does that sound fair?" Drew seemed to nod immediately, then followed by Wilfre, who was now intently staring at him, a feeling of pure competitiveness beginning to stir inside. _I haven't felt like this in ages,_ he thought once more, before another feeling came through, this time confusion. _Why is it toward Drew, though? The familiarity has something to do with it, but I really don't know how..._

By the time the game was done, Samuel was already laying on the couch now, but not asleep yet. He wouldn't be for a little while longer, so he was able to see who'd won the room. In the end, Drew won it, though he wasn't exactly sure if it was a good thing or not. Though, he didn't complain, especially since the result actually made Wilfre happy, but both Drew and Dr. Cure didn't know why. After another moment, Dr. Cure announced what apparently was the good news - but it was simply that they'd arrive to the lunar city of URSF by the next day.

While Wilfre and soon enough, Dr. Cure, headed off into one of the rooms, Drew stayed behind, before sitting on the other end of the sofa where Samuel lay. Feeling the shifted weight, Samuel had reopened his eyes, but didn't sit up. "Something troubling you?" he simply asked him, his tone calm but curious.

"Well... Not really troubling me, but um..." Drew sighed a bit, his ears drooping. "I never liked sleeping alone, is all..." Samuel blinked a bit before sitting up now, slowly however.

"It makes you feel lonesome, doesn't it?" Samuel guessed, while Drew nodded a little.

"I guess so," Drew replied, before soon adding more to his words, "When I think about all the times I've had to, even before I met you guys, I start to get an odd feeling... But I want to push it aside because Wilfre seemed to be happy to get a room with Dr. Cure."

"What is this feeling you get, Drew?" Samuel asked again after he'd listened to the words, but didn't ask in a pressing manner.

"I just feel like I'm not meant to be here, or that I'm just not wanted here, is all..." Drew paused a little here with a frown, shutting his eyes a little. "In fact, I'm beginning to regret coming along. Maybe I should've just stayed in Lavasteam. At least there I'd probably be useful and start a new, safer life... Maybe then, Sly wouldn't have attacked me that night, and then end up making Wilfre go along with that deal. If I'd just stayed there, none of that would've happened..."

Samuel sat there next to him for a long time, not saying a word as he thought this over. Then, at long last, he replied. "Drew, you have been useful here. Remember when we were in the mines, and the pit? You were the one who suggested falling into it, promising that it was safe. You were also able to sense that Mayor Miney, when corrupted, was nearby when we were in the bottom of the pit. And finally, you and Wilfre convinced me that you both cared enough for my well-being to allow me to go back where it was safe, but I decided to stick by because of said caring... But if those things weren't enough for you to describe it as being useful, then your time will come eventually."

"But when...?" Drew asked this time, after processing everything being told and, admitably, feeling a little bit better about the whole thing.

"You must have patience," Samuel replied with a soft smile, "Your time will come. It may be much later, or it could be soon. No one knows, but it will happen. I am sure of it." Soon, Drew found himself grinning widely, then suddenly embracing Samuel, who almost instantly let out a soft gasp of surprise as he began to shiver a little.

"Thanks, Samuel..." was Drew's beginning reply, "You're so smart and kind. I feel better now..." Samuel continued to shiver a little from the embrace, being quite uncomfortable with the lack of personal space.

"Y-Yes, well... You're welcome..." Samuel replied awkwardly, but didn't do anything else but wait for Drew to let him free.

Wilfre hadn't just been happy, but had been outright enthralled to gain a room with Dr. Cure. In fact, he'd been so overjoyed that he'd literally run out of the room while cheering merrily to himself. Oh yes, there was no way he was going to lose to Drew; and he didn't in the end. Dr. Cure had simply followed, very confused as to why he'd reacted so happily. She'd always imagined Wilfre as a sort of loner. Eventually she had simply let it go with a shrug, following him into the room he'd apparently picked out.

Once she went through the doorway, she found Wilfre already inside, sitting on the bedside. She couldn't help but smile a bit while she went over to a nearby coat hanger, removing her doctor's coat and headband, putting each on the rack. Underneath the coat she once more, was now a simple, plain red tanktop, along with a pair of black pants. She let out a small sigh afterward, then padding over to the bed, beside Wilfre. Meanwhile, Wilfre couldn't help but look away shyly from both these actions. He, in fact, almost couldn't believe how... Attractive she appeared underneath the coat.

Dr. Cure soon turned to him, wondering why he was looking away from her. "Something wrong?" Wilfre heard, his ears drooping a bit as he shook his head, forcing himself to look at her again.

"No, nothing's wrong," he said in reply, though noticed the tiniest of blushes creeping in on his face. "I just... Didn't expect you to be..."

"Oh, what? This?" she blinked, motioning at the tanktop. When Wilfre looked away again, she suddenly giggled a little. "Come on. We're both adults here. Besides, it's not even that revealing... Also," she paused a bit to ease his tension, "Why were you so happy to have a room with me? You seemed more like the kind of person who'd want the space to yourself."

"Err, I... Well..." Wilfre couldn't help but stammer at this point, unable to look her in the eyes. "Because I haven't been able to really talk and spend time with you in so long. Even though I didn't appear to, I did really miss seeing you." He sighed a little after saying that, letting the feeling out actually making him less tense about the whole situation. "You were always kind to me, even from the day I was born..."

From the words, Dr. Cure smiled a little more in memory. She eased her eyes shut, letting the memory play in her mind. "I'll always remember that day..." she began, "Your mother and father had come to the hospital because she was in labor. Then, after what seemed like the entire day, there was the cry of a newborn Raposa. But the best part of it all wasn't the sight, or the naming, or even the way you snuggled into your mother's arms. It was when your eyes opened for the first time; those adorable, light lavender eyes of yours, that now are even vivider than before..."

Wilfre scratched the back of his head a little, a look of modesty getting on his face. He even let out a small chuckle as he replied, "Yeah, it must've been quite eventful... A shame that I don't remember it, though." At that, Dr. Cure nodded a little, giggling a bit, even.

"I wish you could remember it, too," she replied, sighing contently. "In fact, I remember that the first thing you did when you opened your eyes was stare outside the window, watching a bird fly by. After a while of watching it circle in the sky, you spoke only one word..."

Wilfre was listening to the whole thing, then nodding a little for her to continue. "'Free', was what you said," she soon continued, her smile softening more from it all, "As in, 'The bird is free-willed'. So, it was your father's idea to name you Wilfre. And even to the end of his life, I don't think he regretted it one bit. In fact, it's so fitting of a name; much more so than what your mother suggested. Wanting to be more practical in name choosing, she picked 'James'."

At the last part of the story he heard, Wilfre suddenly burst out laughing. "Are you serious?" he couldn't help but add in his laughter, "That... That doesn't sound at all fitting...!" Dr. Cure shook her head a little, yet was still smiling.

"I kid you not, Wilfre," she replied once again, crossing her arms a little, "That was going to be your name until your eyes opened, changing everything that was to identify you. Quite frankly, I'm glad it happened. It resulted in a much more fitting name for someone like you. I know for sure that you see why..." Wilfre grinned a little again himself, his laughter easing away with another nod.

"And I think... I remember something about that day," he replied, thinking a little, "I'm not sure how it makes sense, though."

"What do you remember about that day?" she asked, curiosity taking root inside of her. She turned to face him better, her hazel eyes reopened.

"Well..." Wilfre thought a bit more, before he looked back at her as he answered, "I'm pretty sure it was the day I was born, because I remember after the event, that I woke up in my cradle, but for some unknown reason, was quite happy about what occurred before. I believe I was just having the first dream of my life, and it decided to be a really good one, I suppose. I don't remember the dream at all, except that in it I was older. Older as in my current age. Is that unusual?"

Dr. Cure listened to each word he spoke, before shaking her head. "No, it's not unusual at all," she responded, then moving over on the bed to begin laying in it, "It's actually very common for dreams to involve future-appearing selves..." Wilfre saw her do this, and soon found himself following, either by instinct or otherwise as he couldn't help but yawn a little in exhaustion.

"Well, if you say so, Dr. Cure..." he replied again, soon getting under the covers alongside her, though when the light was shut off in the room, was thankful she couldn't see his growing blush. She simply nodded in response with a soft mmm, shutting her eyes and quickly falling asleep. Even if Wilfre couldn't see much in the darkness now, he couldn't deny the imagined appearence of her sleeping being a nice feeling; considering that he was right beside her.

He thought about bringing her into his arms, but quickly realized she might not want to do that, and resisted. Instead, he turned to face away from her, shutting his own eyes to sleep.


	27. 27 Best Friends Forever

So sorry this took so long. I never meant to make this update take as long as it did. So, here it is. My goodness, I'm surprised that I'm almost to 30 chapters; not only that but it's almost halfway done now!

Enjoy, and as always thanks for reviewing.

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><p>27. Best Friends Forever<p>

_"Ooooh, what's that?" a young, ginger-furred Rapo asked curiously, a smile forming on his lips as he motioned the drawing._

_"Huh?" the other looked up at the first, a little startled from the sudden conversation and now of the face he was greeted with. Blue eyes looked into his own light lavender, along with freckles being more noticable as the ginger-furred one smiled at him. The other, the gray-fur, continued to process what he was just asked, before he timidly looked back down at his sketch. "Oh, um... It's just a Baki."_

_The first Rapo smiled a bit wider, sitting down next to the gray-fur. "Oh, okay. Silly me; it should've been obvious... By the way, what's your name? I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you move here?"_

_"W...Wilfre," the other answered at first, so unused to being asked so much from this Rapo boy; or well, any stranger for that matter. "And no... I've a-always lived here. I just don't leave the h-house much..." After this answer, he looked away more, feeling so shy about this whole situation. It was like a fear was coming alive whenever someone other than his parents spoke to him. He was even shy around the Cure family that ran the hospital and was the place for regular checkups._

_"Wilfre? That's like... 'free will', right?" the ginger-fur replied again, not noticing Wilfre's apparent shyness. When Wilfre nodded, but a tiny bit, he continued on, "Wow, that sounds like a lucky name. Mine is pretty boring and common. Isaac." But afterwards he chuckled a little, looking at the sketch again while Wilfre started to sketch upon it more, almost in a way to distract himself from the socially awkward situation. "Say... If you don't leave home very often, what brought you out here today?"_

_"Mom and Dad..." Wilfre quietly replied, but was unsure of if he should continue with the sentence, so he left it as that. Isaac looked up at the sky, seeing how gray the sky looked; almost as if it was going to rain._

_"Why would your mama and papa make you go outside when it looks like it'll be a bad day?" Isaac then asked with a frown. "It sounds pretty mean to me!"_

_"They... Didn't," Wilfre explained vaguely, "I went outside. They didn't tell me to. But I didn't go alone..." Isaac tilted his head to the side a little, confused by the words._

_"But... You're the only one sitting here..." he replied, and Wilfre shook his head. At this point, he was a bit calmer about the situation; which caused him to reach his paws beside him and pull out what looked like a brown teddy bear, that wore a black bowtie with gray spots. Wilfre sat the bear on his lap, looking down at it and actually smiling a bit._

_"This is Mr. Cuddles," he introduced, before bringing aforementioned Mr. Cuddles into his arms and holding him close, "He's very special to me. Dad said that whenever I feel alone or scared, he'll always be here, ready for a cuddle..." Isaac blinked a little, looking at the sight of Wilfre cuddling Mr. Cuddles in this fashion, before smiling a bit again._

_"Do you tell him everything?" he asked at long last. Wilfre seemed to bring the bear closer to him, looking away with slightly bunched up shoulders. For a moment, he'd forgotten Isaac was even there, too lost in the comfort brought on by the stuffed bear he held. Finally, Wilfre nodded a little, but didn't say anything more. Isaac began to chuckle again from the shyness. "Hey... Don't be shy around me, okay? It's not like I'll make fun of you or anything. I actually want to get to know you better!"_

_"...Really?" Wilfre replied after another few silent moments, turning to Isaac slowly, "No matter what you know about me, you won't make fun of me?"_

_"Well, yeah!" was the freckled ginger-fur's reply, "My Mama and Papa always told me that every Raposa deserves respect and kindness!" He would've said more, but was interrupted when a loud crack of thunder sounded throughout the village. Seemed like the storm was about to begin... While Wilfre only blinked a bit at the noise, not being afraid at all, Isaac was getting onto his back paws, about ready to make a run for his own home._

_"Well, Wilfre, I think you need to go back home..." he idly said, but waited for a reply. To his surprise, Wilfre's eyes widened, a look of absolute terror spreading on his face. He shook his head quickly, clinging to Mr. Cuddles now._

_"I-I can't!" Wilfre stammered, beginning to shiver now while another loud clap of thunder rang out, "My... My Mom and Dad... I... They... I can't go home...!" Isaac frowned further, getting down to Wilfre's level again. Feeling a sense of needing to comfort, he planted his paws onto Wilfre's shoulders, which actually made him shiver less._

_"Why not? They're your folks, aren't they?" He asked Wilfre, his tone soft and confused. "Wouldn't they worry about you? Wonder where you are in a time like this? What if they had to search for you? They'd get really mad because they worried..."_

_"You... You don't understand," Wilfre stammered a little more, shutting his eyes tightly. "I can't go home. Not n-now..."_

_Isaac blinked a little at this, completely confused at this point. What sort of young Rapo wouldn't want to go home to their parents when something like this happened? Finally, due to his childish innocence, he just couldn't come up with a reason why, and instead came up with a different idea. "Okay," he finally replied, now smiling again, "Would you like to come to my house? My Mama and Papa won't mind; especially since you're my friend!"_

_"I-No I-I couldn't-Wait... I'm you're friend?" Wilfre couldn't help but question, his eyes opening wide to peer into Isaac's own. "But we... We haven't even done anything, Isaac... We don't know each other!"_

_"Well... If you don't want to be my friend, that's okay," Isaac simply chuckled, "But wouldn't it be nice to have a friend? I mean, friendship is the nicest thing in the world..." He pulled his paws away from Wilfre's shoulders, before instead reaching one out for him to hold onto. "Come on... Please come over? I'm sure we'll have lots of fun. Better than staying out in this scary storm, right?" Wilfre thought about the offer, unsure if he could trust this Rapo, keeping Mr. Cuddles close to him._

_At long last, Wilfre glanced behind him, looking at what appeared to be his own home, then shuddering a little at the thought of going there at this moment. So finally, he looked back at Isaac, lifting a paw away from Mr. Cuddles and holding it gently against Isaac's own. In response, Isaac grinned wider, holding onto Wilfre's paw as well, steadily bringing him to his back paws. While he did so, Wilfre got his pencil, drawing book and Mr. Cuddles into his free arm, letting Isaac lift him upright._

_"M-Maybe once won't be s-so bad..." he said quietly, but was shyly looking down at the grass below him. Isaac only chuckled again, now leading Wilfre toward his house; which, oddly enough, was quite nearby Wilfre's own. So, it didn't take them long to get there, soon enough at the front door._

_"I think you'll love it here, Wilfre," Isaac replied in assurance, letting Wilfre's paw go. But instead of reaching a paw out to open the door, he simply kept on walking, as if he thought the door was open._

_"W-Wait, Isaac!" Wilfre couldn't help but blurt out in surprise, "You're going to hit the-" he was cut off when Isaac suddenly rammed against the wall, right next to the closed door. "...Wall."_

_Isaac reeled back after letting out a yelp of surprise and pain, padding away from the wall, now confused. "Huh? I could've sworn the door was open..." He felt his paws against the wall a little, until Wilfre came up beside him and guided his paw onto the doorknob. It was here that Isaac also noticed that Wilfre actually laughed a little from what he'd just done. So he smiled, taking hold of the doorknob and using it to open the door. "Okay, let's head inside. I know Mama and Papa would love to meet you..."_

The images began to blur together, until it faded to black entirely for a few moments. Wilfre found himself drifting back into consciousness, and slowly opened his eyes. At first, he couldn't see much of anything in the darkness, but in a few moments he could see vague outlines of his surroundings. He became a bit confused, as he wasn't facing away from Dr. Cure like he remembered falling asleep. Somehow he'd turned over in his sleep, now facing her instead. But that wasn't what really got to him.

As he felt a little, but not too much, he also realized that not only was he facing her; he was also holding her lovingly in his arms.

Immediately he blushed intensely, wanting to pull away but also knew he'd risk awakening her; for at this moment, she seemed quite fine with the way they were positioned. So Wilfre didn't let her go, or bring her closer, hoping that she wouldn't wake up and realize the situation. Even if she did, Wilfre could quickly think of an excuse of some kind to get him out of it. In fact, while thinking, he remembered about the dream he'd just faced...

Isaac.

_Oh Creator NO,_ he thought to himself after the full relevation was made, unable to help shuddering a little with emotion, _Any other kind of dream would've been fine, but one with Isaac? That's just going too Rapoing far..._ From all the memories he was now being forced to face, Wilfre shut his eyes tightly, trying his best to not burst into tears. There weren't any words that could effectively express what he was feeling. Isaac had become one of the most important Raposa in his life for the longest time in his childhood; only to push him away and treat him like dirt when Wilfre's beliefs against the Creator drove him mad.

Isaac had every right to be angry over these things and even more, to loathe Wilfre more than Mari ever could and once did. He had all the rights in the world to never trust or forgive him for what he'd done towards him. All of this and more Wilfre understood with every portion of his being; but it however only made him feel even worse in his heart.

Because deep inside, he longed for forgiveness, and especially to regain that friendship. He missed his presence, his speech patterns, his smiles, laughs, greets. He missed how they would often have sleepovers at Isaac's house; how they would hang out almost daily. How Isaac had accepted Wilfre for who he was, even to the point of suggesting him to let his hair grow; while Wilfre in return suggested him to wear his glasses so he could see where he was going...

It was just then that Wilfre realized the pillow was wet with his tears. Had he really been crying that much over one Raposa...?

* * *

><p>One Shadow Creature poofed out of existance after another as the Raposa attacked each. Just as they'd been able to land in the arrival port of URSF's lunar city, it didn't take long at all for both ships to become ambushed by the aforementioned Shadow Creatures. It seemed like there was a large hoard of them, as well; almost as if their arrival was expected. However, at this time they thought more on defending each other from these Creatures.<p>

"There're so many of them!" Mari exclaimed, pulling out yet another throwing knife before tossing it toward a Shadow Creature, "We can't keep going on like this! There's got to be a way to lose them..." From not too far beyond, she could see Zsasha motioning Drew to look into his backpack, while Drew immediately did so, digging inside to find what he was requesting. After a little while longer, she blinked in confusion from what Drew finally pulled out. "What is that? How is that going to-"

"Mari, look out behind you!" Jowee interrupted, firing acorns at the Creature that was about to attack Mari. She jumped a bit from how close she'd come to getting harmed, before sighing in relief as Jowee moved himself so that he was almost against Mari's back. "Whatever that is, we'll just have to hope it helps us... Wait," he looked at what was held by Drew. "Isn't that a smoke bomb? Sweeeeeeeet!"

"Sounds quite useful right now," Wilfre grunted a bit in reply as his sword hacked through a Creature, "I think it's safe to say everyone should get a partner; because when that bomb goes off, we'll need to run to somewhere safe." Mari and Jowee nodded, looking each other in the eyes for a moment before they held paws firmly. Zsasha and Drew followed suit, then from a different place in the battlefield, Samuel and Dr. Cure. After another Creature was disposed of, Wilfre looked again at everyone else, then realized that he was the only one left.

"Except that wouldn't work if there's an odd number of u-" he would've finished if it hadn't for Drew activating the smoke bomb, followed by the Creatures being surprised by the change of atmosphere. His ears drooping low, Wilfre frowned with a feeling of abandonment as he heard the others scurry away from the fray, not seeming to realize he'd been partnerless. _Well, this day is certainly going well_, he thought to himself bitterly as he groaned, _First I am reminded of the past, Dr. Cure and I shared a VERY awkward moment when we woke up earlier, which was WHY she's been avoiding me; and NOW everyone went and ditched me; all the while using my flawed plan! _He'd been standing around as he thought this, and soon he also realized that it had been the worst possible thing to do; especially since it wouldn't be long before the smoke cleared. With that, he went to make a run for it, but was stopped when his paw was suddenly gripped by something with Shadow Goo.

"Oh you've got to be Rapoing _kidding_ me!" he blurted out in anger, using his sword (that was held in his other paw luckily) to swipe at the newcomer; causing said newcomer to let out a yelp of pain. But the yelp sounded different compared to the Creatures before. It almost sounded like a Raposa. Soon afterward Wilfre stopped when it growled a bit, before starting to tug him away from where he stood, fleeing out of the ambush in a matter of minutes. However, the being didn't stop, continuing to run while Wilfre was only able to follow, doing all he could just to keep up the pace.

As they continued to run, Wilfre was able to study the newcomer's appearence; it being a Shadow Raposa rather than a Creature. Wilfre couldn't help but smirk at his sudden luck. _I suppose this day won't end up being completely horrible in every way possible, _he thought again while he snickered, lifting his sword up again. _Soon I'll be able to get some answers..._ Before he was able to attack the Shadow Raposa, Wilfre barely noticed that the two of them were now in a safer location, the Shadow Raposa stopping soon after, looking around a bit before pausing entirely. Once Wilfre's paw was let go, it was a mistake on his part as Wilfre used it, combined with the other paw, to grip his sword steady.

"This won't take too long..." Wilfre whispered out, as if to keep the Shadow Raposa from being scared off. The Shadow Raposa let out a confused noise as it turned to face Wilfre; with a pair of glowing white orbs boring into Wilfre's own lavender. The eyes were so round, circular; along with a bridge line hooking the two together. Wilfre however paid no attention to this, swiping his sword against it once again; to find it yelping from the hack it suddenly endured. Afterward, the glowing eyes narrowed as the mouth curled down in a deep frown.

"Rapo, Wilfre!" it suddenly yelled out in fury, before snatching the sword away from him. "Do you know how much that HURTS?" Wilfre blinked in surprise from the Shadow Raposa suddenly taking the sword out of his paws, as well as the voice. It was so oddly familiar, far too familiar for Wilfre's liking. Suddenly frowning, Wilfre's ears drooped again, memories of before flashing in his mind.

"..._Isaac?_" Wilfre replied, even gulping a bit, realizing that his dream hadn't just been to probe his most regretable memories back to the surface, but to also warn him of what was to come. "No, you couldn't be... I mean, I thought..."

"Yes, it's me," the Shadow Raposa, apparently named Isaac, replied with a sigh, "I guess I'm glad that it truly wasn't you who was attacking the URSF. But next time, if a Shadow Raposa saves you from an ambush of Creatures, DON'T thank them by slashing your sword through them, alright?" His tone seemed pretty stern, meanwhile Wilfre appeared a bit guity, looking down at the ground with a nod.

"I'll admit that it wasn't the best idea..." he replied afterward, before looking up at Isaac again. "Could I have my sword back now? I promise I won't use it against you. Unless you want me to free you from the leech..." While Wilfre couldn't help but chuckle nervously, Isaac seemed to huff a little with narrowed eyes again, before reluctantly handing over the sword.

_Really, would it kill him to say 'I'm sorry'?_ Isaac thought to himself while Wilfre took the sword back._ While it's true that he outwardly changed, he seems just the same on the inside. Come on; it's only two itty-bitty words! I swear by the Creator, if he doesn't shape up..._

Wilfre soon moved the sword into its sheath again, before turning away from Isaac to think. As a cover, it was for him to think about where the others were; but in reality it was more about knowing that Isaac still harbored negative emotions toward him after all this time. He badly wanted to apologize for the past, even when this moment wasn't exactly the best there was; and soon found himself forcing the thoughts away, wanting to find the others as well. "Isaac, did you, by chance, see any of the others?" he soon asked, but still facing away from him and doing all he could to keep his tone steady. "Mari, Jowee, Samuel, Zsasha, Dr. Cure, Drew...?"

Isaac nodded a little, but frowned more in a bit of sadness. "Yes, I saw them, and they went that way," he pointed a Shadowed paw off in a direction, while Wilfre seemed to immediately pad off. "Hey, what're you thinking, going off on your own?"

"I wasn't intending to..." Wilfre replied, pausing to face Isaac. "Unless for some reason you weren't going to come with me... Do you have a plan?" Isaac seemed to groan a bit to himself while he somehow rolled his glowing round eyes, before holding Wilfre by the wrist.

"Until we get to the others," Isaac began to answer, his voice low to keep it between them only, "You'll have to act like a prisoner... But don't make a scene, either." Wilfre could tell the secret tone Isaac was using, and he nodded to disguise his gulp.

It was going to be a _long_ day.


	28. 28 A Regretful Consequence

Hello everyone. I would like to thank everyone who continues to read and review this story, as well as those who politely ask when an update will take place. Thing was, I went on vacation and for some reason there I was able to write more chapters. For the longest time I was working on 29 (which is next) and just recently finished it. I went on to work on 30 and finished that in almost a day.

If this keeps up, updates will become faster. If not, then at least I got those two done. Enjoy this new chapter, and give Wilfre a hug.

...And one for Dr. Cure. You'll see why.

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><p>28. A Regretful Consequence<p>

"So strange that this portion of the city is pure, free of any corruption," Samuel mused to himself lightly as he admired the plants in the habitarium. "When this is all over, I would like to come back to study these plants. They're so foreign, but also beautiful." He seemed to have a small grin on his face, feeling quite refreshed from the sight of flora around him. Nearby was Dr. Cure, who grinned a bit in approval with a small nod.

"Are you a Botanist, Samuel?" she asked a moment afterward, watching him find another plant to admire. Samuel thought about this for a moment, before he shook his head a bit.

"I wouldn't say that," he replied, letting one plant go to admire another now, "Because my interests seem to be more of the natural world we live in. Plants, animals, weather... Everything there is in nature. It all appears in beauty and grace in my eyes." Dr. Cure listened to his words, looking around at the plants more as a few seemed to move about lively, but it didn't surprise her too much.

"I see..." she soon responded, though wasn't sure what to truly respond with, "I understand having a passion that strong. I looked up to my father a whole lot, and decided that being a doctor would be a happy place for me in life. And it is; being able to treat patients and make them better again."

Samuel smiled a bit more with a nod of his own. "Your father was a great Raposa," he at first stated simply, but then added a bit more. "He taught you all he knew and you learned well from his teachings." This time, Dr. Cure smiled more sadly, the thought of her father being brought into the subject making her mood wilt a little.

"Yeah..." she sighed softly, which Samuel quickly caught onto and frowned a bit.

"Sorry; I know you miss him," he said with a small sigh of understanding, "I miss him as well. We all do. Even if you miss him most, just remember you're never alone... Also, there is something I wish to talk to you about, Doctor. If you'd like."

"Oh?" Dr. Cure looked back up at Samuel as she did this, before nodding, "Go ahead." At first, Samuel didn't say anything in return, just finding another plant to admire. Soon, he couldn't help but sigh quietly to himself once more.

"You'll have to forgive Wilfre," he stated as quietly, "He has an unconscious habit of holding onto someone while he slumbers. Though, as far as I know, it only happens around those he cares deeply about. But I promise you, he meant no harm." Dr. Cure's hazel eyes widened a little as she frowned.

"You know about that?" she simply asked him, her voice dropped low to a whisper. Samuel nodded a little, a tiny smile forming on his face; one of assurance.

"Drew and I both know about it," Samuel replied calmly, "But like I said previously; he meant no harm at all. If anything, it was endearment." Dr. Cure now appeared more puzzled from the words, but it was to hide the growing warmth in her gut.

"Are you saying that he likes me?" she soon asked. To her surprise, Samuel actually chuckled a bit, a slightly wider smile appearing as he looked at her directly now.

"That depends on your definition of 'like', Doctor," was his answer. After another few moments, Samuel seemed to return to admiring the plants around them, while she sank into her thoughts.

_Even when he was little, Wilfre grew a bit attatched to me,_ she thought to herself, _Especially when I used to coax him over immunizations. Then later, he would only let me give them to him..._

_"I don't like 'mmunzations'," Wilfre trembled as he spoke quietly, holding Mr. Cuddles close to his body. "They hurt and t-they're scary..."_

_"But they're good for you, Wilfre," Dr. Cure replied, soon having the immunization prepared and heading over to where young Wilfre sat. "They make sure you don't get really sick. You don't want to get those bad illnesses, right?"_

_"No," Wilfre replied softly while shaking his head, "But... They're so..."_

_"Maybe I should give it to him, Dad," a black-haired Rapo piped up, "Remember how you said I need to practice giving shots? It would be a good opportunity, right?"_

_Dr. Cure thought about this for a little while, before he carefully handed the syringe to her. "Alright Flora," he replied afterward, "But the boy's just five, so be careful."_

_Flora just rolled her eyes a little, before approaching the still trembling Wilfre and sitting down next to him. Once this was done, Wilfre shut his eyes tight as he bravely jutted out an arm for her. She giggled softly, rolling the sleeve up until it was well past his elbow. Then, with the same paw, she held onto his own tenderly while the other still held the syringe. "It'll be just fine, Wilfre..." she soothed him, then smiling a bit more. "In fact, I know how to make it painless."_

_"R-Really, Miss Cure?" Wilfre slowly reopened his eyes to look up at her. "How...?" Meanwhile, Dr. Cure sat in a different chair at a small desk in the room, beginning to look over the rest of Wilfre's health papers while still listening intently with perked ears._

_"It's easy," Flora replied, "First, you look away from the arm I'm going to put the shot in. Then, when I tell you to, take a slow, deep breath. You won't feel a thing, I promise."_

_"Okay..." Wilfre eagerly did as he was told, looking away from the arm and even shutting his eyes again. After another few moments, Flora signalled for him to breathe, and he did so as he was instructed; inhaling deeply through his nose, pausing for a second, before exhaling just as slowly. After another moment, he opened his eyes as he felt Flora roll the sleeve downward again. A bit confused, he asked, "Weren't you g-going to...?"_

_"I'm already done, Wilfre, see?" she held up the now empty syringe, before continuing to unroll the sleeve. Wilfre's eyes widened in amazement, before a large smile appeared on his face._

_"It really worked!" he exclaimed gleefully, sitting up more straightfully now, "It worked, Miss Cure! It really really really worked!"_

_"Not so scary and painful, huh?" she giggled again from his reaction, disposing of the syringe, then blinking a bit when Wilfre suddenly embraced her. She held him in return after a few moments however, shutting her own eyes softly._

_"No..." Wilfre replied, beginning to purr quietly, "I'm not scared anymore, either. Thank you, Miss Cure..."_

Dr. Cure couldn't help but smile a bit from the memory. It was so long ago, but she could remember it like it was yesterday; even though it would actually be nineteen years ago. Soon, her thoughts were interrupted when the padding of hurried paws approached her and Samuel. Looking over, they found that it'd been Mari, who was panting a bit.

"Have either of you seen Wilfre?" she suddenly asked, to which Dr. Cure and Samuel's eyes widened. They thought for a moment, looking at each other, before frowning.

"Who was he partnered with?" Samuel asked in reply, "I don't remember..."

"That's the thing," Mari sighed, "I don't think he had a partner. There were seven of us, after all..."

"Oh no..." Dr. Cure paused after saying this, putting her paws over her lips in dismay, an awful realization overcoming her. "Why didn't we check to make sure everyone was partnered up...?" Samuel noticed her emotion, putting a paw on her shoulder comfortingly.

"It isn't anyone's fault," he replied calmly, even though his tone was riddled with the same feeling of dread, "Wilfre is a resourceful Raposa... I'm sure he's alright." Then he let out a tiny, surprised yelp when she suddenly embraced him, tears beginning to spring into her eyes. Samuel stood there for a moment in silence, not knowing what to do or say, quivering just a little from the loss of space before he resigned to this fate. Awkwardly he brought his own arms around her, but didn't do much else.

Meanwhile, Jowee had padded up to Mari, as though he had followed her this way. "So, have either of them seen W- Oh..." he stopped asking as soon as he saw the sight before him. Mari turned to Jowee, her face just as sad.

"That's everyone, Jowee; and no one has found Wilfre since we fled the ambush," she replied to him, "Dr. Cure was right; we should've made sure everyone was partnered up; even make one group just for him..." Jowee's face fell from the news. He'd really been hoping someone out of all of them had seen Wilfre. Then, the both of them perked their ears when Dr. Cure suddenly spoke again.

"It's all my fault..." she stammered through her tears, at this point drenching Samuel's robe in them, "He meant no harm... But I pushed him away, and got angry at him, and called him a... A pervert..." While Samuel wasn't too surprised by the words, and also not minding that her tears made his robe drenched in time, Mari and Jowee's eyes both widened.

"Wait, WHAT?" Mari couldn't help but exclaim, "Just what happened last night?" Dr. Cure wasn't listening to a word that was spoken, her dismay now utter dispair.

"He was the only one truly capable of saving all of us from Sly..." she continued, her sobs growing louder as her tone began to twist and choke, "First his father, Mari's mother, then the Mayor, my own father, and now him... How can I call myself a Doctor if I couldn't even save them?" The others were now becoming a bit fearful of her words; beginning to truly worry about her possibly losing her sanity.

"Please, Doctor, calm yourself..." Samuel replied, as calmly as he could, "Don't say such things about-"

"My childish anger got the best of me, and now we're doomed..." she couldn't finish at this point, shivering in Samuel's hold before she suddenly forced herself out of it, dashing out of sight of the three Raposa. At first, Jowee ran after her for a few paces, while Mari was just too shocked to do anything, and Samuel was more surprised of her sudden change of action.

"Dr. Cure, wait!" Jowee called out to her, before he finally stopped, noticing that she wasn't even looking back as she'd run off. "Come back..."

"Dear Creator," Mari finally said, holding onto herself a little, "She sounds like she's losing her mind... And right now, that's the last thing we need..." Samuel nodded a bit in reply at first.

"As harsh as it seems, this is true," he soon replied, while Jowee's ears drooped sadly from overhearring, "Our only hope for her is if Wilfre himself is alright. And if not... Then we can only hope for her to recover."

"You say that as if Wilfre is dead," Jowee suddenly muttered with a glare, turning back to face them. "The real truth is, none of us have proof of that. And until then, we can't just assume something that awful. What if he's just trying to find us? I even remember a while back when I told him that he was the strongest Raposa I knew. And I will stick by that until the day I kick the bucket. No, long after that, even." Mari and Samuel both thought about this, before Mari nodded while Samuel did so as well, but more apologetically.

"You do have a good point, Jowee," Mari replied, before unable to help but smile a bit, "Just because we haven't found Wilfre yet doesn't mean all hope is lost."

"Exactly," Jowee replied again, his face softening. "He's probably on his way here right now, ready to yell at us for leaving him behind on accident..."

* * *

><p>"...And so, everything that has happened was Sly's doing," Wilfre finished up, before letting out a sigh of annoyance. "Every day that goes by makes me regret doing what I did all those years ago; but it doesn't help that I'm cruelly reminded of what I already have decided to react every step I take. I mean, Mayor Rose forgived me but Miles was still wary, Mayor Miney didn't seem to give a Baki's scarf anymore but Key had been angry at first, but Mayor Click? I personally believe he went too far with those automated messages..."<p>

"And he said I was the one who hated you so much," Isaac couldn't help but mutter a bit, before speaking more normally, "But you know, you realize you put an entire city of once-primitive islander Raposa into a suddenly technologically advanced setting with your 'space fortress' idea."

"True," Wilfre agreed at first, before he shrugged a little, "But that's the thing. All I even truly _did_ was suggest him to build a space fortress to keep the village from crumbling. I never suggested to make ridiculous rules; that was the doing of his own paws. It was his choice to take my advice; he could've said no and figure out his own way. And if he did, I wouldn't have stopped him."

"Aside from taking all the color away?" Isaac groaned a bit as he asked, then glaring a bit more when Wilfre replied.

"Of course!" He quickly shut up for a moment from the words he'd just said, stammering a bit now, "Well, I mean... Ugh, Isaac, I didn't mean it like that, you know."

"All these years, huh?" Isaac replied, his tone becoming quieter as he almost began to regret even saving Wilfre in the first place, "Then why does it seem like yesterday?"

Wilfre's face fell from the words; Rapo it was obvious Isaac still hated him after all this time, though of course rightfully so. _I was so stupid back then,_ he thought to himself, his ears drooping a bit, _Isaac was never wrong before, and yet I didn't listen to his advice..._ In these thoughts, they both had become silent, Wilfre barely noticing that both of them passed through an archway into a habitarium; which was oddly enough free of any corruption. Just when Wilfre seemed to muster the courage to open his mouth to make an apology, he quickly shut up again when they both heard a small shriek.

"Shadow Raposa!" the Raposa cried out, nudging the other next to him wildly, "A Shadow Raposa found us and oh my Creator he's going to capture us all!" The other flinched from being nudged, looking over at where the first was looking.

"Uh, Drew..." he started once the shaking stopped, "Look who's next to him." The first, being Drew, did look, seeing Wilfre standing right beside the Shadow Raposa, unscathed. Then, Drew burst out with a new emotion, rushing over at Wilfre and embracing him tightly, almost to where he couldn't breathe.

"Wilfre, you're alive!" he blurted out afterward, while Wilfre struggled feebly at first. "I'm so happy to see you're okay! I mean, Mari and Jowee asked us earlier if we'd seen you after the ambush and Zsasha and I were like 'nope' and then were like 'Oh good Creator is he okay out there on his own' and Zsasha was all like-"

"Drew, I think he understands!" Zsasha interrupted, noticing how pale Wilfre was becoming from the hold, pulling lightly on Drew's shirt for him to relent. Drew noticed it as well, pulling away while chuckling nervously; Wilfre gasping for air for a few moments, almost unsteady on his back paws before he soon relaxed.

"Of course I'm alright..." Wilfre could only say at first as he finished recovering, "Though, I probably wouldn't be if it weren't for Isaac." He motioned a paw at the Shadow Raposa, who just blinked from the scene before nodding a bit. While Zsasha seemed a bit shocked that the Shadow Raposa was really Isaac, Drew seemed confused, never having met him before.

"Isaac...?" Drew couldn't help but ask in his confusion. Soon Zsasha seemed to realize something completely different, motioning for the other three to follow.

"We'll explain later, Drew. For now, we should find the others and let them know Wilfre has been found."


	29. 29 One Shattered Hope

Wilfre gets so many hugs, I swear. But that's a good thing; he needed them due to what he was going through and what he will go through in the future.

Again, thanks for reviewing and reading to those who still are. We are almost at chapter 30! Near halfway, I believe.

Without further ado... Let us continue.

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><p>29. One Shattered Hope<p>

Wilfre never thought he'd ever be included into a group hug until today. Right when the others gathered noticed Zsasha, Drew, himself and Isaac, they'd immediately assaulted him with one. The good thing however was the fact that it hadn't been nearly as strong as Drew's had been. In the end, Wilfre resigned to it, actually enjoying the feeling quite a lot; it showing him how much the others missed his presence and even almost believed in the thought of his accidental demise. Of course, upon seeing Isaac as a Shadow Raposa, weapons were drawn; until they were lowered as Wilfre explained that Isaac was still relatively normal, appearence aside.

Soon enough, Wilfre noticed that there was one Raposa that was missing from the group. He went to excuse himself from the others, using the fact everyone was catching up with Isaac as a distraction, only to be unknowingly followed by Drew. Unknown to the others, Isaac glanced over where Wilfre and Drew left the scene, eying Wilfre carefully with narrowed eyes. _They must've been joking,_ he thought to himself before turning to the others with a friendlier expression. _Surely they're only acting like they care about him..._

"Rapo, I'd completely forgotten that you left the village a while back for that commission," Mari relaxed first, putting her throwing knives away and motioning for the others to do the same for their weapons. "With everything that happened, it's good to see a familiar face. Even if Shadow Gooed..." Jowee and the others followed suit, Jowee actually smiling a bit from seeing a familiar, respected Raposa of their village.

"Yeah, it's been a long time, right?" He added, going to put his shooters away before Isaac motioned for him to see one of them. Blinking a bit in confusion, Jowee handed one over to him. "How've you been, aside from, you know..."

"It was a lot different than it used to be," Isaac replied, before inspecting the shooter in his paws. "But that was actually a good thing; Mayor Click really changed the way he led the Raposa in the city. S.P.U.D. rangers were fully trained citizens, the rules were fair, the architecture was stunning; that was, until Sly came to visit... By the way, you're using a downgraded version of the Shooter. You'd be better off with the latest version."

"Well... I got what I could before your house got destroyed," Jowee sighed a bit shamefully, "I wasn't really thinking at the time, but they got me b-"

"DESTROYED?" Isaac blurted out in shock, dropping the weapon to the ground in his panic. "What do you mean, 'destroyed'?"

"Isaac, um..." Mari tried to explain, her face becoming a bit upset and uncomfortable, while Jowee reached down to pick up the fallen weapon and putting it away with his other, "Three months ago, Sly came into our village and destroyed most of it; including your house..." Isaac stepped back a little, even more in shock now.

"And about two weeks before that, Mya and Cindi were both kidnapped by him," Jowee added, his tone becoming quite saddened, "Along with several other villagers in those two weeks... No one knows where they are, or if they're even alive."

"No way... Tell me you're joking right now." Isaac countered with a small stammer, before both Mari and Jowee shook their heads. "My home... My family... Are all gone? And SLY is responsible for it? Oh Creator, then this must mean..."

"It is what you feared," Samuel spoke as well, softly however, "He even once controlled Watersong and Lavasteam, with both Mayors as corrupted as you and Mayor Click are now. I once was even corrupted as well in what was left of our village, but Wilfre rescued me when he finally awoke from his sleeping curse..."

"I don't understand..." Isaac replied, his voice lower as he appeared saddened from everything he was being told, "You need to fill me in on everything that has happened while I was away. Everything."

"Of course we'll tell you, Isaac," Mari replied with a small nod. "We all will. Now, where should we begin...?"

"When you left for the commission, or when Sly started 'visiting' the village?" Jowee added again, a little confused. After thinking for a few moments, Samuel decided to answer.

"I think it'd be best to explain Sly's activites at the village in the order they occured," he said, even though it hurt to think about. "Including what caused him to do what he did to it."

"Okay..." Mari sighed in reply. "Just let me warn you now - it isn't pretty."

* * *

><p>It didn't take Wilfre too long before he'd found who he had looked for; the search couldn't have taken more than ten minutes. As he padded by the exotic plants, he paused when his eyes laid upon the admitably pitiful sight of Dr. Cure. To say the least, she appeared to be a mess, her cheeks stained with tears and her attire and hair disheveled. When Wilfre slowly stepped closer, he found that she'd actually fallen sleep from crying.<p>

Though, he had to be honest with himself and this situation as he kneeled down beside her. _Why was she crying?_ he thought to himself, his ears beginning to droop as the memories of before filled his mind. _Maybe doing what I had accidentally gave her an even worse impression of me than I thought..._ he thought again with a sigh.

"I believe I understand now, Dr. Cure..." he said aloud this time, unsure if she would hear him or not but didn't think about it too closely, "I know none of this would've happened if I hadn't been so determined to get a room with you. You clearly belong with Drew-" he was going to finish if he hadn't realized just what he was beginning to say. Belong with Drew? What was that implying?

Thus, Wilfre silenced himself, his ears drooping further in both disappointment and shame. Though, he couldn't understand being disappointed. What would he care who Dr. Cure was with? Looking down upon her fully, he somehow looked past all of what would've made her appear awful, only seeing a Raposa woman who's beauty would put an angel to shame. Well, Wilfre always did think she was pretty, as he did about Mari; but with Dr. Cure, it was a different sort of pretty. It was...

Oh, what was the word he was looking for?

He shut his eyes to think about what word would be the most suitable while Dr. Cure continued to nap inches away from him. While his eyes were shut, he could hear her deep, peaceful breaths and he couldn't help but smile just a little from the sound. It sounded quite relaxing... Suddenly Wilfre's eyes reopened in surprise, his ears perking to listen as he heard another pair of paws padding against the ground, until they near a few feet away from him.

Wilfre turned his head to face whoever it was, then looked back at Dr. Cure intently once he realized that it was only Drew. "No one asked you to follow me, did they not?" he spoke quietly, careful to not awaken the sleeping doctor.

"No, no one had me follow you," Drew answered just as quietly, shaking his head a bit with a small smile. "It's that everyone just relaxed from you being alright, and I didn't want anyone to panic from you disappearing again. You gave us all quite a scare; though I can't say that it was your fault..."

"And it wasn't," Wilfre replied, watching as Drew padded over and kneeled next to him. "My plan to get us all away was simply flawed... I should've remembered there were only seven of us." He didn't look at Drew again, sighing a little. He didn't even budge when Drew put a paw on his shoulder in comfort.

"I know, I know..." he replied at first, but then looked down at the still slumbering Dr. Cure, "When we were all in a panic about what happened to you, she took it really hard..."

"How so?" Wilfre rose an eyebrow at the statement, not exactly sure where he was going with this.

"She believed that what happened this morning affected her judgement," Drew began, a frown forming in his face now, "And that it caused your plan to be flawed in the first place. She thought you had died and blamed it on herself; thinking that because of her, everything that had been done for our world was all for nothing..." Wilfre's eyes widened at the words, looking even more carefully at Dr. Cure's sleeping face.

"She isn't angry about what happened?" he stammered slightly, almost unable to believe such a thing.

"I think she'll be so happy and relieved to see you alive," Drew simply answered with an assuring smile. "And to be honest, I think that she was just confused when she first got up. There's no way you'd be that kind of person, right?" Wilfre nodded almost immediately, then shuddering at the thought of being otherwise.

"I would never...!" he answered, but was unaware of a slight blush appearing on his cheeks, the warmth being the only thing that let him know of it. Then, he added quietly and quickly, "Not unless she truly wanted me to." This time, it was Drew's turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding the statement made. However, he shrugged a little and got it off his mind quickly, figuring it wasn't any of his business anyway. Afterwards, he smiled again as he got up onto his back paws. He would've been followed by Wilfre, if he hadn't noticed that Wilfre seemed to long to pick Dr. Cure up to bring her back to the group not too far away, but was hesitant.

"Think she'll wake up and yell at you again?" Drew asked with empathy. Wilfre didn't answer for a few moments, before he finally nodded. Drew only chuckled slightly and said more, "Like I said, I think she won't mind that; just that you're alive and that she can relax." Wilfre hesitated for a few more moments, thinking about it, before doing so no longer and carefully picking up the slumbering doctor in his arms, now holding her bridal style. The way he held her made Wilfre blush a bit again but Drew didn't seem to notice, only starting to head back to the group with Wilfre in tow.

By the time the three returned, the discussion among the others had changed into locating the corrupted Click. When they had noticed Dr. Cure in Wilfre's arms, relaxation settled in again; deciding to make a plan of who would go to find Click with Wilfre and who would stay back to watch over Dr. Cure and each other from any possible Shadow Creature or Raposa attack. Even under the condition that there was a chance that Dr. Cure could wake up to still find Wilfre missing, it was decided among them that the ones who stay behind can assure her that Wilfre was alright.

Aside from the obvious decision to take Wilfre, Isaac decided to come along as a guide, in order to find the best way to Click. The others just had a feeling that the Shadow Creatures or Shadow Raposa could find them in their peaceful hideout, so they all stayed behind; also knowing that while Dr. Cure was still out cold, the amount of Shadow forces were a lot larger than in the other villages prior to URSF. Jowee couldn't help but ask to be sure that Isaac and Wilfre wouldn't need a third person, only to be assured that the two of them would be alright on their own.

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><p>"Shadow Raposa are getting more powerful," Isaac mused to himself as he led Wilfre down yet another hall in the maze-like structure of the tower. "This building wasn't nearly as large or complex before Mayor Click got corrupted... I have a bad feeling; that Sly has been allowing him to abuse the Book of Life to make this faux tower." Wilfre was following after him, the sword unsheathed and in his paw, keeping eyes on the lookout for any Shadow Creatures.<p>

"That would explain it," he idly replied as he'd done so, "And I assume everyone told you what has become of our village?" To his surprise, Isaac let out a small sneer, which confused him.

"_Our_ village?" Isaac repeated afterwards, "So you really do think you'll be accepted back into it just because you had to save us from your own mistake... I bet that afterwards, everyone will come to their senses and ban you from t-" He was soon cut off. At first, Wilfre wasn't sure how to react from the words Isaac said to him. He didn't want to believe that the others would betray him after everything they've been through and what was to come. Of course, at first Mari and Jowee were iffy on trusting him until he was shown the Church of Shadow. Since then, including wherever they went, everyone seemed to accept him, or at least learn to...

His thoughts soon stopped when he'd heard Isaac cut off. For a moment, he was a bit confused, watching him as he let out a low growl and putting a paw on the side of his head. He muttered something that Wilfre was just barely able to hear. Wilfre took a small step toward him, at first reaching out to him but quickly pulling back.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, though his voice was quieter now, the words before still affecting him somewhat. Isaac heard, stiffening up and putting his paw back down to his side.

"I'm just fine," he replied hastily before continuing to lead the way, "It's just the Shadow trying to possess me. Happens sometimes..." Wilfre hmmed a bit in thought, but kept quiet, figuring that Isaac was being truthful. However, he couldn't help but think he heard something other than what could've been the 'Shadow'.

He could've sworn he heard "Somebody help me"...

Eventually the two came across an elevator, to which Isaac pushed an up arrow on the wall next to it. Wilfre stood beside him for a moment before the doors opened with an oddly normal _ding_ sound. Wilfre followed Isaac into the elevator, watching as he pushed a certain number on the keypad. The doors shut in front of them, starting to climb the floors. Wilfre watched the numbers climb from one to sixteen, but even then it didn't stop there. During this time, both were silent, which made the whole situation feel quite awkward; as not only was there no talking, but there wasn't even any elevator music to soften the blow.

Pressure was beginning to build inside of Wilfre as he glanced at Isaac before quickly darting his gaze away. He already knew how sharp-tongued Isaac was with him, but rightfully so after the way Wilfre had treated him and broke off their friendship those years ago. He always knew it wouldn't be easy to apologize, and even less to be forgiven, but the stress of needing to made him decide that the time was right.

"Isaac, I think now is a good time to tell you something important," he started, though from the silence before made him stutter a bit, "I know that I did terrible things in the past; to you and the world. Looking back on it now, I realize that I was a stupid Rapo... So Isaac, I want- no, need- to say that I-"

_Ding._

"...I'll tell you later." Isaac simply shrugged, as if he didn't hear the words as the elevator stopped and reopened the doors. Wilfre's ears began to droop from the reaction, a small sigh of sadness coming out of his throat as he followed with little motivation.

_This is going to be much more difficult than I thought..._


	30. 30 Save Me Now

Oh goodness, I'm so sorry that I delayed this one for so long. Almost being a month since I updated? It's not like me at all, and hopefully it won't happen again. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting. Thanks for sticking by and waiting and reviewing, either way.

This chapter is... You decide.

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><p>30. Save Me Now<p>

"He should be down this hall, through those doors," Isaac stated calmly as he led Wilfre down another faux hall. Looking around, Wilfre could see several doors; but when he would put a paw curiously on one, the paw would go right through the door and hit the wall. They were all fake doors, it seemed. As they walked deeper and deeper down the hall, the once normal-looking appearance of the walls and floor itself seemed to corrupt; the colors fading into shades of gray and everything falling into disrepair.

After a while longer of padding down the hallway, they reached a large pair of double doors. If doors could appear unusual, these ones were; being a pitch black with pure white lettering running along the doors that weren't in the normal Raposa language, but in the URSF language and alphabet. However, it didn't seem to affect Isaac one bit as he pulled the doors open and padded inside, waiting for Wilfre to follow.

Even though Wilfre noticed everything here, he didn't react to it all too much, due to the fact that his attempted apology was not only interrupted but also gone unnoticed. However, he forced himself to hide his sadness as he went into the new room with Isaac, letting him shut the doors behind him. He made himself seem more interested in the strange architecture of the room, which the walls made the room spherical and literally covered in TV sets. Each set showed a different place in URSF, but luckily none showed the safe location the others were in. Looking upward, Wilfre noticed a very, very long staircase that led to a much higher ground, so high in fact that they could only see what appeared to be a Mayor's desk if they squinted their eyes.

_Focus, Wilfre; focus,_ Wilfre thought with a deep breath, _There's still plenty of time in the future to apologize. But for now, Click is more important..._

"I assume we go up the staircase?" he asked lightly, looking back at Isaac and saw him nod. Nodding in return, Wilfre looked forward again, starting to pad up the steps. However, it took him a few minutes after starting to realize Isaac wasn't following him. Briefly he turned back to locate him, only to find that he disappeared from sight. A strange feeling began to grow inside of his gut as he looked around at his surroundings in hopes of finding Isaac, a feeling of fear and possible betrayal. But even after everything, surely Isaac wouldn't stoop that low, right?

... Right?

Wilfre shoved the thought out of his mind, starting to go up the stairs once more. When he felt he was almost at the top, he was already feeling quite exhausted; his legs burning and back paws sore and wishing he could just sit somewhere to rest. Oddly enough, at the top was of course the Mayor's desk, plus a few chairs for visitors, but it was deserted. Once on the top of the flight, Wilfre examined the surroundings carefully for any sort of surprise or trap, but didn't find anything possibly out of place. All was silent as he trekked toward a chair, exhaustion taking over him. He couldn't help but sigh in relaxation once he sat in the chair, it feeling pretty normal compared to the room's appearence.

He soon found himself watching a few of the TV screens, though in most of them there wasn't anything going on. Wilfre took this time to carefully sheath his sword, of course however keeping in mind that he would need to pull it back out at any moment. Though for now, it didn't seem necessary to carry it in his paws, as no one seemed to be around. _Not even Isaac,_ he added in a thought, _I wonder where he went off to..._

"You didn't arrange an appointment, did you?" Wilfre jumped from the sudden voice, looking back at the source of it - behind the desk. Right in that spot, sitting in his own chair, was Click. From the reaction, he seemed to chuckle with a manic-appearing face, his pair of mechanical hands put together. "Just waltzed up here like you were allowed to do whatever the Rapo you pleased. Well, perhaps not exactly; you were escorted by my best underling, Isaac."

Wilfre forced himself to remain calm as he looked into the corrupted Mayor's eyes, a pair of glowing white rectangles that bore deeply into his own; almost tearing into his soul, even. He tried to appear smug when he replied, "That's where you're wrong... Isaac isn't on your side."

"Oh?" Click rose a shadowed eyebrow from the words and tone, not being too affected. "Then where is he? Where's the proof that he has betrayed me?" Wilfre paused to think about how to answer without giving too much away, even finding himself searching the room again in hopes of finding him. Click giggled this time from the lack of response, before separating the hands, then finally snapping one of them. Within moments, there was a small _thud_ as Isaac reappeared behind the chair Wilfre was sitting in.

Wilfre's heart began to race with fear when he heard Isaac approaching him. "Yes, Mayor Click?" he simply asked, adjusting his glowing glasses.

"Wilfre claims you're not on my side anymore," Click answered with a shrug, before getting up from his chair and activating his jetboots, floating a few feet higher than he once was. "Isn't that silly? I have to go get something for our 'guest'; so in the meantime, stay here and chat with him for a bit." Isaac nodded a little, sitting down in the opposite chair next to Wilfre as Click flew off somewhere and out of sight. Once out of earshot, Isaac suddenly let out a laugh. If the laugh wasn't distorted and frightning, Wilfre would've joined in. Instead, he only looked to Isaac in hopes that he wasn't wrong.

"So very silly..." he finally said with a sigh, then looking over at Wilfre, noticing his expression. "Don't worry, there is a plan. You'll understand everything in a few moments." Wilfre wasn't completely convinced, but nodded anyway, resting a paw over the handle of the sword he had sheathed still. Click didn't take long before he'd come back, now holding a small glass jar. Inside the jar was a moving scoop of Shadow Goo, and the jar even had a sticker label. However at this time, Wilfre couldn't read the letters that formed one word.

"Now Isaac, you are aware that Wilfre is a stubborn fellow, correct?" Click spoke, and Isaac nodded, rising from his chair while Wilfre quickly followed suit, waiting for some kind of instuction. As Click set the jar on the desk for the time being, he continued, "Then you'll need to hold him still for this to work. I'm sure you can do it." Now that Wilfre could read the label on the jar, he found it was labelled in his name. That, followed with Isaac's task of apparently keeping him still, Wilfre quickly pieced together what was going on.

Rather, what was _really_ going on.

Immediately Wilfre drew the sword from the sheath to defend himself. "Isaac, I assumed you were better than this!" he blurted out in a mix of emotions, "I thought you were going to help me fix the URSF!" Click let out a small mmm of rememberance, while Isaac simply snickered.

"I forgot about the blade," Click admitted with a small chuckle. "Not to worry, Isaac; I won't make you hold him while he has that thing. It's quite sharp and he seems to enjoy the knowledge of that. Let me take care of it!" Isaac stood back with another nod, a smirk rising on his face.

"Remind me; what is the Shadow Goo for if Sly is the one who wants him?" Isaac asked casually. Click began to approach Wilfre while Wilfre held the blade at the ready, but also easedropping a bit. When Click was close enough, Wilfre let out a battle cry and swung the sword; but Click seemed to see it coming from a mile away and one of the mechanical hands easily gripped the blade before it could harm him. While Wilfre began to flail and tug the sword back, surprise beginning to overwhelm him, Click began to answer, just as casually.

"It's a temporary possessor," he began, managing to get the sword out of Wilfre's paws entirely with little effort, "It'll be enough to host his body until he can be safely delivered to Sly; then Sly will replace the possessor and the possessor can move onto some other Raposa... Alright, the blade is gone; now you can safely hold him still." Wilfre wasn't sure how to react when the blade was taken away from his paws, and so easily too. Then, from the words, he started to back away to make a run for it, only to be grabbed tightly from behind by Isaac. Wilfre immediately gasped in fear, beginning to struggle in the hold.

"Don't even try," Isaac simply hissed. He let out a laugh afterwards, looking up at Click. "Maybe we ought to torture him a little first. I suggest that sword to be shattered right before his eyes!"

At this point, Click was just inches from taking the jar off the desk before he paused, blinking a bit. "That sounds fun, Isaac; great idea," he replied, turning back, still holding the sword in his mechanical hand, "This way, there won't be any way Wilfre can attack us, or any other Shadow Raposa or Creature, ever again!" With that, Isaac adjusted Wilfre so that he was forced to look at Click as he gripped the blade of the sword tightly, even if the pressure caused the Shadow Goo to hiss violently.

Wilfre would've spoken in defiance if words weren't failing to form in his mind. He however struggled more in Isaac's hold, shaking his head repeatedly with widened eyes. He knew full well that should something happen to the sword, all could be lost forever; unless of course all the Raposa in the group were able to evacuate back to Turtlerock and hope the Creator had the strength to summon another sword, which seemed very unlikely. Isaac could sense the fear rising inside of Wilfre, and chuckled from his pain. He couldn't help but admit that Wilfre looked so pathetic when he was powerless and afraid; so much like any other weak, defenseless Raposa.

"Is he ready?" Click asked calmly, holding the sword out in front of him. When Isaac nodded, Click grinned wickedly and squeezed the fingers against the blade. The Shadow Goo hissed louder as time passed, the hand beginning to shake from the pressure being used. A crack appeared along the front of the sword, grew, and another appeared. Finally, Click and Isaac both let out triumphant laughter as the blade gave way under the pressure and broke in half, jaggedly on both ends. The snap in half caused both sides to clatter to the floor, a few shards of blade hitting the floor as well.

Wilfre's eyes widened from how quickly the sword was shattered like that, and now laying there on the ground, broken. The sword itself even seemed to dull from it all, as if all the Creator's magic for it to react accordingly to the Shadow Goo had all but faded away. Isaac appeared quite smug from the events as Click let out a happy sigh, turning away from the fallen, broken blade to get the jar. "Now with that out of the way," Click said as he did this, picking up the jar and looking into it for a moment, "We can continue without being disrupted..."

Isaac nodded again, making sure his grip on Wilfre was tight enough to where there was no chance of him escaping. Wilfre, on the other paw, stared down at the broken sword for a while before he looked up at Isaac, feeling crushed and hopeless from the turn of events. "Why, Isaac...?" he found himself saying, a bit hoarsely however from the mix of emotions beginning to override him, "I thought you were better than this; I thought you were stronger...!" After another moment, Wilfre realized something else. "No, this isn't about not having enough strength; this is about what I've done to you, isn't it?" Isaac clung onto Wilfre, another sneer being let out.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Isaac replied with a wicked grin of his own, "I'm not the Isaac you know, or even used to know for that matter. He's completely under my control. And soon, you'll be forced to submit to your temporary master just as he did. There isn't any Raposa with enough willpower to fight the Shadow!"

_Come to think of it, _Wilfre thought after hearing this, a little relief washing over him but didn't keep him from feeling so much fear. _He muttered 'Somebody help me' but said it was the Shadow trying to control him; when all along it was the other way around... __Wouldn't that mean that Isaac can still hear me? If that's so, then..._

"Wait," he spoke, to the confusion of Isaac and Click, "May I at least have some last words?" Isaac rolled his eyes with a groan, but Click actually considered the idea, before shrugging and bringing the jar over to the two of them.

"I don't see why not," he finally replied, "Go right ahead." Isaac seemed surprised that Click would agree to something that seemed ridiculous to him, but Wilfre relaxed from having his request approved. He took a deep breath, putting the words together in his mind before he began.

"It's something that must be said, even if it doesn't affect the future in any way, shape or form," Wilfre began, doing all he could to keep calm and to keep his emotions from overshadowing what he was going to say next, "I even wanted to say it much sooner, and even earlier, but I was always too afraid that nothing would change for the better. But now, it seems like I have no choice; this is my last chance to say it before it's too late for me. Over this whole time of being awakened from my sleeping curse, I have come to realize that the things I did in the past were not the right things to do. Then, having a dream and meeting you again, Isaac, I also came to remember even worse things I've done; to you."

"What are you doing?" Isaac muttered crudely, a sickened expression appearing on his face. Click shhhed him a little, actually listening intently.

"I know that who I'm speaking to isn't the Isaac I know, or even used to know," Wilfre continued afterward, determined to get the words out, "But I know he can still hear me. He even fought against your control once, or in this case, before; so he could certainly do it again. However, what I'm going to get across isn't about that; it's about what I did to him. Back when I was seventeen and you were eighteen, my thoughts about the Creator caused me to go insane; and it was to the point of not listening to you when I should've. You were never wrong about anything before then, so it was my fault for not believing you; instead assuming you were only listening to what other Raposa said about it. But in reality, it was only you trying to tell me that it wasn't a good idea. It was you trying to do what was best for me, looking out for me, just as a best friend should and did."

"Hurry up..." Isaac groaned under his breath, only for Click to glare at him a bit.

"Let him finish!" he replied, "I know he's a Raposa and we're Shadow Raposa, but it doesn't mean you need to be rude and interrupt him on his _last words!_" Isaac nodded a bit, even though he would've liked to add a remark of defiance.

"So, I was the stupid Rapo who wouldn't listen to his best friend," Wilfre started again once the two finished, "And instead, I treated him terribly, called him nasty things and finally yelled out-"

"'You speak just like them'," Isaac replied suddenly, then blinked in confusion. "What...?"

"Yes, that," Wilfre sighed in sadness, his ears drooping, "And I stormed off in rage, only to steal the Book of Life later that night, get kicked out of the village, and everything else... And now, to this day, I regret all of it. Not just what I did to the world, but what I did to him especially. Words cannot express what stress and pressure I go through, though admitably rightfully so, due to it. I realize all of it is out of guilt of the past and so, I have to say what needs to be said. I completely understand if it doesn't change the circumstances I now face. The only thing I will be happy with knowing is that I got to say the words to him, and that he was able to listen. So, Isaac, I know you can hear me; you heard this whole thing. So, at last, I will say it... I'm sorry for everything I put you through."

Click actually seemed to applaud once the speech was over, having set down the jar to do so. After a chuckle, he replied, "Well done, Wilfre. That was really well put together, even though it was on the spot! Are you finished, then?"

"Yes, I'm finished," Wilfre replied, though now a little depressed from the fact nothing seemed to change. "I'm just glad I was able to let that out of my system before I'm gone." Click seemed to nod a little, picking the jar up again and getting closer, now inches from Wilfre and Isaac, who seemed pretty distant now, his mind a little scrambled.

"Good, good," Click replied, preparing to open the jar to let the Shadow Goo get onto the mechanical hand, "Isaac, be sure to keep him still as I do this, alright?" Isaac didn't reply for the longest time, which seemed to surprise him. "Isaac?"

Suddenly, Isaac released Wilfre, padding away a few good steps before letting out a yell of frustration. Too stunned by the action, Click and Wilfre simply watched as Isaac put both his paws to his head, growling loudly. Then, after what seemed like a long while, there was a sharp yell of "GET OFF OF ME!" before the Shadow Goo covering his body seemed to explode, hitting the floor in several small puddles of Shadow Goo. The Raposa underneath fell to his knees for a few moments, panting to get his breath and strength back.

"N-No!" Click cried out in dismay of what just happened before him, his face twisting into fear, "Get back on him before it's too late!" Quickly, the Shadow Goo piled together until it was one blob, hissing frustratedly as it started to lunge onto Isaac. However, Isaac seemed to get up and dart away from the pile, pulling out what looked like a hammer with a button from his overall pocket. Quickly pushing the button, the hammer extended and grew into a more weapon-like object, Isaac then weilding it in both paws. The Shadow Goo darted again toward him, only for Isaac to slam it square into the ground. It let out a squeak of pain, before finally disappearing in a mist.

"Oh, it's FAR from too late," he whispered out venomously, now standing up fully and padding toward Wilfre and Click. Click seemed to frown deeply from how easily Isaac dealt with the Shadow Goo that moments before seemed to be able to control him pretty well. Soon, he seemed to realize something, anger building up toward Wilfre as he clenched the hands into fists.

"You..." he seethed deeply, the anger peeling his sanity away into pure rage, "You tricked me; again! You took my greatest underling away from me with your well-put speech! Well, fine then! I'll just... Just... Who cares what Sly wants; I'LL KILL YOU, WILFRE! EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

"Rapo, he's mad," Isaac couldn't help but chuckle, now beside Wilfre. "Pity about your sword, though. Do you think it'll still work?"

Wilfre was somewhat distracted by Click's words, but quickly picked up what was left of the handle side of the blade. "Um..." he began in reply, though a bit awkwardly from the sudden change of Isaac's behavior, "I'm not sure... Might not."

"Well, if that's the case," Isaac replied again, "Let's find a way to escape for now."

"I'd like that," Wilfre nodded, beginning to relax a little, "Especially since-"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Click yelled out, using the jetboots to lunge at Wilfre, bowling him over and pinning him down, "YOU WILL NOT GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE! NEITHER OF YOU WILL!" Isaac saw this, gripping the hammer tightly as he waited for the right moment, then finally striking against Click, causing him to fall onto his side, unconscious. Wilfre hurried to get up onto his back paws again, thinking about if he should still try.

"It's worth a shot," Isaac said, as if he could tell what he was thinking, "If it doesn't work, we'll run." Wilfre nodded a bit, before striking the jagged sword against Click, only for it to unaffect the corrupted Mayor. Isaac took Wilfre's free paw, starting to run down the steps. "Well, that's that! We'll come back when you have a new sword, okay?"

"Fair enough for me!" Wilfre replied, quickly following after him, down the long staircase and through the doors. However, he couldn't help but look back for a moment to be sure the corrupted Click wasn't following them. Isaac, on the other paw, didn't even seem to care to look back, only focusing on escaping with Wilfre.

"And when we return, I promise I won't do what I did in betraying you," he continued, though this time a bit more uncomfortably, "We'll do it correctly this time, I swear..."

"Don't worry, I know you wouldn't," was Wilfre's reply, actually smiling a bit, "That wasn't even you at all, it was the Shadow controlling you."

"Still, just the thought that you believed otherwise," Isaac sighed, reaching the elevator at this point, "It makes me feel terrible."

"Don't," Wilfre said as he pushed the down button next to the elevator, "I'm just glad you're back to normal, Isaac. And maybe one day in the future, you'll come to forgive me. But you know," he paused as the doors opened, both of them padding inside and Isaac hitting the button for the bottom floor, "If you don't want to forgive me, or even be my friend ever again, I understand."

"Well, be prepared for one thing you'll never have to worry about again," Isaac chuckled a bit with a smile, "I've always wanted to resume being your best friend, but I was just waiting for you to apologize for so long, that it started to make me feel... Grudgeful. But now, Wilfre... I can forgive you, and we can be friends again; but promise me one thing, okay?"

"Anything, Isaac," Wilfre nodded, smiling wider. Suddenly, Isaac gripped him by the shoulders, staring into Wilfre's eyes deeply with a stern glare, even if it was through his thick glasses.

"Never do anything that stupid again, got it?" Even if he tried to sound serious, Isaac couldn't help but chuckle from his own words. Wilfre immediately nodded with his own chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck with his paw for a bit before he simply had it over his chest, over his heart, in promise.

"I swear on my grave I won't do anything that 'stupid' again."


	31. 31 Up To Speed

Updates may become faster now, as I've been writing more often, so hurrah! Though I'm a little sad that this chapter came out shorter than normal; and there wasn't any way to make it longer. Oh well.

Thanks again for reviewing and reading. And by the way, there's a tumblr for the story. Just add the periods where the spaces are:

dtl-tfa-blog tumblr com

Anyways, moving right along!

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><p>31. Up To Speed<p>

A black-hairred Raposa hmmed to herself a little as her eyes opened. The pair of hazel eyes scanned around where she was for a brief moment, finding that she was lying inside a red-petalled flower. The petals were closed up in the bud, reflecting the light in a softer shade of red. She sat up fully, wondering just how she got here. She remembered where she had fallen asleep, and it certainly wasn't here where she had. She sniffed a bit, feeling like her nose was going to start running once again, only to find that it wouldn't, being dry and clear.

Adjusting her clothes into decency and crawling toward the closest petals, she reached out and felt against them. The petals were soft and warm, delicate to the touch. She pushed her paw carefully inbetween the petals, a sliver of white light pouring into the otherwise red-tint of light. She used her other paw to slowly pull the sliver wider, until she could see through the gap. She peeked, noticing that there were other Raposa nearby; the ones she knew well talking, looking around, or just merely resting.

Just below her were a few leaves portruding from the stem of the flower she was inside. She edged a backpaw onto the leaf, testing to see if it would support her weight, then relaxed as she stood on it fully, exiting the bud entirely now. Dusting off the pollen that had gradually gathered on her jacket, she continued downward, until she was safely on the ground. Soon enough, she was noticed.

"Dr. Cure!" one of them called, which brought the attention of the others, "You're awake!"

Dr. Cure blinked in a bit of surprise of the voice, and suddenly felt strangely awkward. On top of this, she also remembered what she'd done before she had gone to sleep; that she had a very embarrassing freakout over one little assumsion.

"Y-...Yes," she only replied with a small nod, but couldn't say much of anything else. A few other Raposa came forward, around Dr. Cure now. "Jowee, Mari, Drew, Samuel... How long have I...?"

"About an hour or two since Wilfre found you," Mari replied gently, then grinning in relief, "We're just glad you're alright, and didn't do anything too... Hasty." Usually Jowee would've butt in with something direct, but this time bit his tongue, knowing now was not the right time to be saying such things.

"Since Wilfre found me?" Dr. Cure replied in surprise, at first wondering if she even heard the sentence right, "You mean that... He's alright?" They all nodded, Samuel motioning a bit with his head in the direction Wilfre and Isaac had left earlier.

"Wilfre and Isaac are currently away, however," he said afterwards, nodding again when she'd responded with another face of surprise, "Yes, he found Isaac as well, Doctor. Right now, they're curing Mayor Click, while the rest of us guard each other from the Shadow Creatures and Raposa. I'm sure they won't take too much longer to return." After those words were spoken, Drew's face suddenly became confused, as if an odd relavation had overcome him.

"Wait a second..." he started, then facing the others, "When Click is saved and all of the URSF is fine again, then what do we do? Is there anywhere else that needs to be saved?" The others stopped cold from the question, Zsasha approaching them as well to listen to the conversation.

"He does bring up a good point," Mari replied in thought, then sighing a little. "I mean, ultimately we want to destroy Sly once and for all; and knowing the fact that even if we saved the villages from his rule will weaken him, he would still be powerful enough to wipe out everything if he really wanted to. So it would make sense if we all fought him together, right?" The others nodded, and she continued again, padding away a few steps. "But then again, there might be a gap of things we still need to do before we can fight him. I know there was something, but it was so long ago, that I can't remember..."

"Hey, Mari!" Jowee suddenly added in, following her a bit, "I remember that when we were fighting over where we needed to go first, and Wilfre finally said 'Watersong', right? Well, he also said that it was because he wanted us to start where it was closest, then go 'around our known world'. Even though we'll soon have those three villages saved, we're still forgetting that our own is just as bad in shape." Realization struck Mari soon after he'd said that, gasping a little.

"That's right," she replied, "We didn't do anything else for our own village after Wilfre saved Samuel! And that was because Sly 'visited' us again soon afterwards, and we were forced to leave!"

"Ah yes, we still need to go back to where we started and fix our village," Samuel agreed with a nod, "But it was never truly 'corrupted' aside from the Church of Shadow. It was more like it was... Damaged."

"I'm... Almost afraid to see what became of it," Zsasha added in as well, "I know you all told me about what happened, but... The real thing might be even worse than just telling..."

"I already have a good idea of the sight," Dr. Cure sighed now, her tone more calm and collected as opposed to before, "Sly did a few things while I was still around, researching Wilfre's condition. But then, I had no choice but to leave to Lavasteam to aid their villagers' Rapuenza infection. I was so torn between staying at the village, or leaving in hopes of coming back as soon as I could..."

"No one could blame you, Dr. Cure," Mari replied with a small smile, facing the others again. "You did what you had to..."

Dr. Cure nodded a bit from the words, before continuing again. "So, after we take care of the URSF, we will return home to make sure it is saved as well? Then what?"

"Then after that, I guess, uh..." Jowee trailed off, thinking about it more. "How will we even find where Sly is hiding? Yeah, I know, to destroy that evil pile of Shadow Goo, but I think that we'll also find the kidnapped villagers there. He probably has them imprisoned! We should at least try to find them, too!"

"Other villagers..." Zsasha replied quietly at first, "Like... Cricket, Unagi..."

"Chef Cookie, Farmer Brown, NavyJ..." Mari added, her small smile becoming a bit wider from the memories.

"Indee, Pirate Beard, Count Choco..." Jowee added as well, himself chuckling just a bit.

"Galileo, Crazy Barks, Cindi..." Samuel then added, the memories making him feel a bit distant.

"Tubba, Bubba, Mya..." Dr. Cure added afterward, her grin small and bittersweet.

"Um..." Drew wanted to add, but soon couldn't come up with anything to say. The others noticed this quickly, frowning over at him. He couldn't help but ask something afterward. "When this is all over, will I have to go back to Lavasteam?" The others, at first, opened their mouthes to reply, but soon found they couldn't, which made Drew's ears lower with possible fear. "If I don't get my memories back... I won't be able to stay with you guys? There's no room for me...?"

"Well... It's not a matter of you getting your memories back, Drew," Mari began once she had the courage to do so. "It's just if Lavasteam would need and miss you. After all, you were found there." Drew sighed a bit to himself, thinking about it more, realizing that the situation was even worse than he thought.

"They didn't seem to know who I was..." was all he would say, his tone quiet as he bowed his head.

"How strange..." Samuel replied after a few moments of silence. "If not even the villagers of Lavasteam knew you, then you may not've been from there at all. Though I wouldn't assume it's the only reason, it just seems..."

"He's not even from Lavasteam..." Dr. Cure murmurred to herself, "That, and he doesn't have his memories, either, so we wouldn't know where he's really from. I think he should stay with us, at least until he remembers where he lived. And if he doesn't, or does but prefer us, there shouldn't be any reason why we should let him go."

"Yeah, that doesn't seem right," Mari nodded in agreement, "Okay, Drew. Like Dr. Cure said, we won't make you leave if you really don't want to. If after everything, and regardless if you get your memories back or not, staying with us is all up to yo-" she stopped short here as Drew literally ran up to and embraced her. This caught her off guard for a few moments, before she giggled and held him in return. The embrace didn't last long, and soon they had pulled away. Jowee did his best to not think anything of the event, while the others only found it adorable.

* * *

><p>A noise was made by a Shadow Gooed Raposa as he used the mechanical hands he wore to bring himself to an upright sitting position. He shook his head a few times to clear his pounding head with a small mutter. Looking around him, he found that there was an opened jar with a ball of Shadow Goo still inside. His looking around became more frantic, as if he suddenly remembered what just happened before. One of the TV screens caught his eye, and his eyes narrowed to a deep glare once he realized what was going on in it.<p>

A growl escaped his throat. They weren't going to get away from him...

Activating his jetboots, he lifted himself into the air, before blasting himself down the stairs from above and through the doors. The doors didn't slow him down as he sped through the hall and right out the wall next to the elevator. Observing the area around the large, corrupted city of URSF, he used his glowing eyes to enhance wherever he looked, until he noticed two specs of movement. One was gray, the other ginger. A wicked grin formed on his face as he noticed that they headed inside an archway; one that didn't seem affected by the corruption whatsoever.

He sped off once again after them, a laugh as wicked as his grin being let out as he did so. It took him possibly no less than five minutes to reach the destination, pausing his boots near the entrance. He set himself to the ground, sneaking to the arch, perking his ears to listen to the conversation he heard. Wilfre and Isaac were there alright, explaining the situation to one, two, three... Six other Raposa? Well, this certainly presents a challenge, but then the corrupted Mayor remembered how easy it was to corrupt the citizens, no matter how many there were trying to stop him.

Experimenting a little, he pressed a fingertip against the wall of the archway in an attempt to corrupt it like everything else in the city, only to find that the Shadow Goo hissed and steamed. Click pulled the finger away in surprise. _What kind of magic is this?_ he thought to himself, before shaking it away with ease. _If I have any chance of destroying all of them, they can't be in there. Plus, my powers may slowly slip away the longer I'm inside. I'll need to do this quickly, or else..._

Eventually, he took a deep breath as he suddenly stepped away from hiding, looking right inside now. In front of him, several feet away, was Wilfre, Isaac and the others. _Shouldn't be too hard, since they're not S.P.U.D.s and that sword is useless now..._ He stepped back a little, before starting to fly again, afterwards speeding right inside. Right away the Shadow Goo covering him seemed to emit the faintest of hisses. Wilfre heard and turned around, his eyes widening as he instinctively lifted the broken sword up to defend himself, briefly forgetting that it wouldn't be of any aide to him. The others paniced and drew back as Click came close, he letting out a louder, more deranged laugh as he used the hand to swat the sword easily out of Wilfre's paws; afterwards grabbing Wilfre by the neck and slamming him against a wall and ignoring the increased hissing of the Shadow Goo.

Wilfre at first was too dazed to do anything in response to what'd just happened, but soon recovered. While he began to feebily struggle under the incredible hold, Drew saw where the sword went off to and ran over to pick it up, and along with Wilfre, forgot it wouldn't hurt Click. Lifting it up high with ease, he let out a battle cry as he charged over to where Click and Wilfre were. He was quickly stopped by Dr. Cure, who pulled on his shirt in an attempt to at least slow him down. "No!" he cried out while this occured, Samuel rushing up to them as well. "Let me go! We have to- We need to help Wilfre!"

"Drew, let it go...!" Dr. Cure replied, though sounded quite saddened from being unable to do anything, "That sword is worthless now, just like Wilfre said!"

"Nothing is worthless!" he cried out again while Samuel had approached them, but kept a small distance as he thought things over. "We HAVE to do something to help him, don't we...? We can't let him... We can't let him die!" While the two were arguing, Samuel looked upon the broken sword, his eyes widening as a very faint, white glow flickered on the sword before fading. Drew's words would make the flickering more often, and brighter. When it had died again, Samuel took a paw and carefully placed it on the handle of the blade. To his surprise, the glow seemed to brighten even moreso now.

"Both of you; please look at the sword," he finally spoke, while Drew and Dr. Cure stopped arguing and did look. "But what does it mean...?"

"Um..." Drew thought about it for a bit longer, "The sword became powerless because it got broken. The magic slipped away, but... This place, oddly enough, keeps the corruption out and protects us..."

"Click seems to be suffering from that as well," Dr. Cure added now, looking briefly at Click, who was now being distracted by Mari, Jowee and Isaac, "Like the Shadow Goo is slowly dying because of whatever protects this place. I wonder..." After saying this, she placed her own paw on the handle alongside Drew and Samuel's, only to gasp as the intensity of the brightness almost blinded the three of them, until it faded entirely; the only difference was that the sword no longer appeared dulled.

"Perhaps it was because we interacted or touched some things in here, and the magic that protected this spot passed onto us, and finally..." Samuel started afterward a bit longer of thought, "Transferred into the sword...? But then, wouldn't that mean..."

"It won't last long," Drew replied again, while Dr. Cure and Samuel's paws parted until only Drew was holding it, "We need to get this to Wilfre; fast!" They nodded, while Samuel pulled out a paw again but this time, used it to lift the sword carefully out of Drew's paws with Telekinesis. While the others let him, Samuel padded off in a quick manner while the sword floated just ahead of him, guiding it further away from him and toward Wilfre.

"Use it quickly!" Samuel called out to him when Wilfre noticed this. Wilfre hesitated with a confused expression, and Samuel let out an irritated sigh, forcing the sword into Wilfre's paws before letting it go and yelling out, "Just trust us!" Wilfre took the sword anyway, and felt a sense of power as it snaked quickly up his arms and through his body, and gripped it tightly. He looked up and around, trying to find Click, and soon found him; he was still being distracted by the others.

"Click, over here!" he yelled out suddenly, making a battle stance while Click turned to look at him. "Fight me like a Raposa, you coward!" Click let out a huff of triumph, but took the bait and sped forward, quickly catching up to Wilfre to bat the sword away like before. However, he was surprised to find that Wilfre gripped the sword tight enough for it to not be tossed aside, and even caused the Shadow Goo covering Click's mechanical hand to steam and hiss furiously like before it was broken in half earlier.

Wilfre pulled back quickly and, just as quickly, threw it forward but still in his paws, slashing it against Click. In response, Click let out a yell of pain, but Wilfre didn't let him recover as he hacked at him again and again, watching as the Shadow Goo was thrown off of Click with every strike. From afar, Mari, Jowee and Isaac seemed to lower their weapons, starting to think Wilfre would be alright on his own now, even though they weren't sure why. The rest of the others approached them as well just after telling Zsasha of what happened to fill them in as well.

"How are you able to hit me?" Click hissed out in frustration as he did all he could to hit Wilfre in return, "I smashed that wretched thing in half and the magic left it! All of you should've been dead by now!" Wilfre chose not to respond to the words, as he, himself, didn't know the reason for this strange miracle that was allowing him to free Click after all. It couldn't just be by miracle alone that the sword suddenly worked now, even if apparently only for a limited time. Since said time was limited, Wilfre ignored thinking of why, and only focused on defeating the Shadow Goo that covered Click instead.

Suddenly Wilfre found himself lifted by the neck again and windly began to swing his sword at Click, and after one massive hack, the Shadow Goo finally let out the familiar death cry as it melted off of Click and disappeared. Wilfre panted and coughed for air as he collected himself, meanwhile the Mayor almost fell to his back from the aftereffects. At this point, the others had come up to the two, keeping Click from hitting the ground, but couldn't prevent him from falling unconcious.

Soon after this happened, the light from the sword began to dull again, before the light began to flicker, eventually going out entirely and was now as dull as it was when it was first shattered.


	32. 32 Setting in Stone

Sorry that this chapter took so long to upload; I have no excuses this time, folks. Just flat out laziness. (Yes, sounds bad but it gets to everyone sometimes) But for now, the wait is finally over. I wish writing was easier, though.

Thanks for reviewing as always, and as for one in particular, I shall answer each question after the chapter.

* * *

><p>32. Setting in Stone<p>

"Well then, since it seems the story has changed," Mayor Click grinned a bit as he said this, "S.P.U.D. Ranger Hoaka, you'll be responsible for repairing the machine and rockets down in our ancient URSF city, so that it doesn't play those old messages or require some kind of password. I no longer wish for my messages to contain resentment towards the certain fellow who brought me back to normalcy. So, when I get around to recording the new ones, I'll be sure to let you know when it's time to change them." He had a small, metallic clipboard with him, along with a pen that went with it. Using the pen, he was adding in the things he needed to do, and contained some important and a few time consuming things. No longer, however, was he wearing the metal pair of hands, only using his paws.

"Yes, Mayor Click," Hoaka nodded with a small salute and grin, "At least this time I won't be ambushed by Shadow Creatures..." Around them were the other Raposa, including the villagers of URSF and the S.P.U.D. rangers. Said S.P.U.D.s were cleaning the Shadow Goo from the glass habitariums, plants, the metal ground, and a dozen of other places, especially doors for homes the villagers resided. To Mari's glee, the villagers seemed to wear more than they once did, especially the women. Instead of simply having the bare minimum of coverage, they wore actual, unrevealing outfits that suited both cultures of URSF; ancient and modern. Jowee seemed to notice Mari's happiness, standing beside her and wanting to say something, but at first was reluctant to, as he was afraid she'd simply claw his face again. The way they were used to attack his face made it quite clear she knew how to use them.

"They really do look better dressed," he idly spoke at last, tightly shutting his eyes in preparation for a possible attack, only to not find one. Mari had simply nodded with her smile still wide. "They aren't even wearing those ridiculous helmets, either..." he soon added, to which Mari seemed to giggle.

"Yeah, and sneezing is legal again, on top of several things not requiring forms," she replied, "Including use of a toilet!" Jowee couldn't help but chuckle this time, inching closer to her, until he was sure he could've held her paw if he really wanted to. For a few moments he refrained, but at last reached a paw out, gently holding onto her warm, delicate paw. Mari seemed to tense just a little with a small blush, but tried not to think anything of it. Noticing her unease, Jowee tried to disguise his intentions.

"Y'know... I really am sorry for what I said back at Turtlerock," he began, hoping it would put her more at ease, "When I said that, well... When I said 'the girls were pretty hot'... I didn't mean it. I also feel worse because it offended you... And I'm sorry for not realizing that sooner, too."

"Oh, Jowee," Mari giggled again, relaxing from the words and turning her head to look at him directly now, "You think I'm still upset about that? Okay, I was, just a little... But your words changed my mind." Jowee had a small blush appear on his cheeks, but hoped it wouldn't be seen, distracting both of themselves by holding onto her paw a bit more firmly as he looked at her in return.

"So you forgive me?" he asked quietly this time, inching closer to her again, then turning to face her entirely. She nodded, not seeming to mind his actions anymore.

"I forgive you, Jowee," she replied in confindance, before thinking of something else. "Jowee... I've been thinking for a little while now on my own about something. Like, when everything's back to normal, and we're home again. What do you think it'll be like? Would it ever feel the same again? And, in the future, when the time comes when I... Need an heir..." Jowee's blush immediately escelated from the last question, letting out a very nervous chuckle. Mari seemed to frown from his reaction, to which he quickly shut up while clearing his throat.

"I know home won't feel the same anymore, thanks to what's been done to it," he replied afterward, trying to keep calm, "I mean... Well, I bet when it's all over, the Creator will help us fix it up again, won't she? Maybe even make it better than before, who knows! And um, a-about the... Heir... Just remember you're still too young to be thinking about that, okay? And even then, I-I'm sure you'll find someone perfect; a soulmate..." he'd said that last word slowly, almost reluctant to say it in the first place, before he continued, "Who you'd be with forever and not have to worry about... That..."

Mari nodded to the words, but sighed as her ears drooped in sadness. "Thanks Jowee, but it wasn't what I meant..." she said at first, hesitating before she spoke more, "The thing isn't about not being able to... Have an heir. It's that I'm scared of... Giving birth..." Those words had stopped Jowee cold, his own ears drooping as well. There was silence for a few moments, but to Jowee they felt like hours. If it weren't for the S.P.U.D.s and Mayor Click working in the distance, the silence between them would be flat out unbearable and the most awkward he'd ever faced. At last, he let out a small gulp before he forced himself to reply.

"O-Oh..." was all he could say at first, and was unsure of what to tell her in his forced response. "I didn't think about that. If I remember right, Mari... I think I can understand why." There was another period of silence as the two stared off in the distance, avoiding each other's eyes. If the previous awkward silence was unrelenting, this was the same; tenfold. Finally, Mari spoke up again, but in a tone that suggested that she was trying to get her mind off of the old topic and not think of it anytime soon.

"I think someone has a birthday coming up..." was all she said, in a singsong manner. Jowee blinked in confusion, trying to think of why she would bring up a topic like this, before realization struck him.

"Oh hey, yeah...!" he replied, trying to sound more cheerful like she had moments ago, "Not for another few weeks, though... How could I forget something like that?"

"Actually, with everything that's been going on lately," Mari replied, grinning a bit more again, "It'd be pretty easy to get distracted... Do you have anything in mind that you want?"

_The courage to say 'I love you'..._ Jowee thought briefly to himself before he replied vocally. "For once, I really don't know what I want this year... In fact, I... I can't believe I'm almost an adult. I sure don't feel like one... And I probably won't even when I turn eighteen."

"And not until long after turning it, either..." Mari giggled a bit to herself, before sighing softly. "If anything comes to mind, just say so, okay?" Jowee nodded, actually feeling a bit better.

From not too far off, Isaac seemed to remember something from a bit ago, approaching the URSF Mayor. "Um..." He started, stratching his head a little, "I never did get paid for the commission." Right after those words, Click dropped the clipboard in surprise and shame.

"Oh dear, that's right...!" he yelped at first, then turned to Isaac, "I'd love to give you your payment right away, and believe me when I say right away... There's so much going on right now, that, well... It simply wouldn't be easy-" he cut off here as Isaac let out a small laugh.

"After everything you went through the past few days," he soon replied, a small smile of understanding forming on his lips, "You shouldn't worry about paying me for a little while. At least not until things have settled down. Now would be too stressful of a time to deal with something so small as a payment. Delay for as long as you need." Their conversation continued on, as others started. Dr. Cure, who wasn't able to earlier due to the attack, was holding Wilfre tightly in her arms, Wilfre having a small blush as he patted her head. She seemed to have been apologizing for her actions that morning, but Wilfre seemed just fine with putting it past them.

Drew was with Samuel and Zsasha, still wondering why the particular habitarium had protected them from the corruption, and why it also affected the sword. While they were pondering, a S.P.U.D. ranger had come up to them with some books, to which Drew noticed that they were the books he took from the Forgotten Library a little while back. He took them once the ranger handed them to him, holding them close to his chest. Now instead, Samuel and Zsasha wondered what these books were for and why Drew had them, to which he explained nervously.

"I just, uh... Found them interesting," Drew feebily said to them, letting the others look through them, "Even if I don't understand the words... Or the letters, for that matter." Zsasha seemed to skim through the pages, noticing some patterns in the writing, while Samuel studied the letters and the ink placement.

"These books are quite old... Centuries old, I should say," Samuel pointed out, his paw lightly feeling the paper and ink, "Some of the ink has faded slightly, and the paper looks ancient, as if made with a very... Well, inadequete machine. The alphabet themselves seem even older, though... Not like the alphabet we use now."

"Yeah, and they don't look anything like the alphabet used here in the URSF," Zsasha added, flipping through more pages however as if to distract himself a bit, "Though, some of the letters just look like a more elaborate version of what we use! Like that one there looks like our lowercase "e", and that one a lowercase "r". And something else to note is that this one looks more like a journal than a book... I would see a line with a few words and numbers..."

"They all look like journals, in that case," Drew replied to both of them as he looked through the other ones, "They even... Show around the same numbers..."

"Drew, I recommend that you show these to someone knowledgable about these," Samuel then spoke after a bit longer, letting Drew carry the books again, "Maybe then they'll become even more interesting."

"I will, but... I don't know who, though," Drew sighed this time, his ears drooping a little, "Who'd be able to decode these...?"

"That's actually a good question," Zsasha replied, quieter, "Maybe... Mayor Click? Maybe his villagers learn about this kind of stuff?" Drew smiled a little at those words, nodding to him before heading off from the two. By this time, Isaac had finished talking to Mayor Click, now instead over where Dr. Cure and Wilfre were, chuckling a bit from the sight he was seeing. Isaac seeing what was going on only made Wilfre's already embarrassed blush grow, unsure of what to do about it.

"I know you're busy, but um..." Drew started once he was near him, "I just want to know if you know anyone who could translate these journals for me." Click turned again to face a slightly nervous Drew, blinking down at the books he held. Alike the strange alphabet used in the pages, they had also been used on the cover, for as soon as Click looked upon the words, his eyes widened. With a sudden change of mindset, he gave the clipboard and pen to Hoaka, instructing him to see to the progress going on at the moment. After Hoaka had nodded, Click turned back to Drew, taking him by the paw and leading him away from the others, until they'd entered a building.

"Drew, do you have any idea what you carry in your paws right now?" Click asked as he lit the room of the otherwise dark building. Drew blinked with a confused frown as he watched Click venture further, then sitting in one of the many chairs around the room. When he didn't respond, Click motioned for Drew to come closer, to sit nearby him in another chair, which he did.

"Is it something bad...?" Drew couldn't help but reply, setting the books onto the table to free his paws entirely. Click shook his head, taking the top book of the stack and looking over the single word on the cover.

"'Mobius'," Click read slowly as his paw lightly ran over the ink, before flipping the book open to see the text inside. "From your response, I get the feeling you aren't very familiar with Raposian history, nor their historical figures... There's the journals of Mobius... Jaduth, Saeymore, Zangcho, Felix, Isabelle... Ah!" he paused at the one of the bottom, his eyes even wider now as his paws shakily held it.

"Even the great Winfero's journal is in this stack..." he continued at last, his voice as shaky as his paws. He turned to Drew slowly, who'd by now had complete confusion on his face, not sure what to make of Click's behavior. "Drew... I need to ask you where you found these. Surely it wasn't easy to find each and every one of The Seven Ancients' journals..." For a while, Drew couldn't reply, too occupied with the fact he'd apparently found something extraordinary, but of course unintentionally.

"On Turtlerock, in the Forgotten Library..." he finally replied, a bit stuttery however, "I... I picked them up because they seemed interesting. I had no idea what they really were." Click's expression softened, looking over at the journals in front of him some more.

"I should've thought about that..." he said softly with a chuckle, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses, "They were, all together, best known for using Turtlerock to guide them around the seas; searching for new, safer homes, as their old settlements were dying out with lack of food and water and such... Anyway," he cleared his throat after another moment, before continuing, "The alphabet you see here? It was used at their time and even before and beyond; year 242 was around when it was being used widely, I believe. Then, it was used all the way through year 985, as after that, the alphabet seemed to slowly evolve into what you use currently. Uppercase letters became simpler, a lot more like the lowercase, but taller and different. Lowercase simply changed into what we see now, simplifying even further. By a few of the letters, such as lowercase 'e', 'r', and 'y', you could guess that they didn't change too much... Though, as for other cultures, such as the URSF, it gained a completely different makeover through the years we used it, eventually developing our own language as well..." He suddenly trailed off with the fact he could've been boring Drew with his lengthy chatter.

"Er, no, you're fine Mayor Click," Drew blinked with his reply, not at all deteered from the talking, "I was actually wondering about that... Though, I do want to know more about these 'Seven Ancients'. You probably already have your paws full, so... I just want to know if there's anyone I can ask about deciphering the letters..." At that, Click chuckled a bit to himself with a small nod.

"Well, if that's the case, Drew," Click replied, a little less self-conscious now, "You should just ask Isaac. While he was up here with the commission, he used some spare time to take some free courses. He learned how to write the ancient text used in these journals, as well as these historical figures, and a course that was somewhat required to help him understand the concepts he would come to use when making the commission for me... Since it appears that he'll he joining the rest of you, you'd have plently of opportunities to ask him. It's true, my paws are full and you won't be staying long... But I hope I helped you out, even if it was just a little and not much."

Drew nodded with a small grin this time. "You did help me a lot, Mayor Click, so thank you. I'll be sure to ask Isaac, though..." he looked out the window for a moment, now seeing Isaac patting a very embarrassed Wilfre's head with a chuckle, while Dr. Cure looked on in calmness instead of before. "It looks like they'll be catching up for a while... I shouldn't ask right away. He'll have a lot in his paws as well as us pretty soon."

"Yes, don't ask right away," Click agreed, now getting up and gathering the journals back together, handing them to Drew, "It isn't like it's essencial at the moment. Take your time. After all, they actually need the time to catch up and bond." Drew nodded with a wider grin, heading outside with Click while now carrying the journals again. "Besides, I think it's time for you and your friends to depart soon. The sooner you all can reach where you're headed, the better."

"I think we were going back to Mari's village," Drew replied in conversation, as they came closer to the others once more, "To fix it up, or so she said..."

"Ah, is that so?" Click replied with a small chuckle, "Well then, I wish you all luck on repairing it, and eventually finding that evil Sly and giving him what-for!" Drew laughed a bit at that, nodding as well.

"We sure will, thank you..."

* * *

><p><em>How dare they make me choose...<em> Wilfre jokingly thought to himself, an unimpressed expression overcoming him as he looked upon the two ships that would take them back to Turtlerock. On one side was Samuel, Zsasha and Dr. Cure; the other Mari, Jowee and Isaac. Beside him was Drew, who also didn't know who to go to. Looking upon Wilfre's expression, he quickly could see why he seemed irritated. Jowee couldn't help but roll his eyes a little at the sight, however.

"Just pick something!" he blurted out impatiently, "It's not like you'll never see the others again. I don't think one night would kill you..."

"Easy for you to say," Wilfre replied in a mutter, "You get to go with Mari. Would you be able to survive without her for a night too?" Jowee's eyes widened at first as he tensed, before going on the defensive.

"Of course I woul-... What is that supposed to mean?!" Wilfre was about to open his mouth to say why, but soon sighed, holding the secret in instead, knowing of his promise long ago.

"Oh, nothing... But would you be able to prove it?" Before Jowee could make any rash decisions, Mari sighed loudly and intervened.

"Could you two stop fighting?" she spoke, "We're not children, you know..." Meanwhile, Drew seemed to get an idea, approaching where Isaac was, whispering something in his ear. Isaac let out a small chuckle with a nod, and while following Drew, went over to where Samuel was, doing the same for him. Samuel merely nodded with shut eyes and an understanding but small grin. Soon, the others had noticed the actions going on, watching as Isaac and Samuel traded places, while Drew simply followed Samuel over to where Mari and Jowee were. While they all seemed pretty confused, aside from Isaac and Samuel, Drew simply had an innocent face as he stood where he was.

After a few more moments of thought, Mari seemed to understand the action, suddenly grinning to herself at the realization. Though, she tried to maintain a stern face as she spoke again, this time directly at Wilfre, "Well, I guess you have no choice but to use that one, Wilfre. Better luck next time..." while Wilfre, upon staring at who was over there, didn't think and practically flew over to them, afterwhich went straight into the rocket, or would've if he wasn't stopped by Isaac.

"Whoa there," he said with another chuckle, "Not so fast. These still have the lock-out systems, remember?" Wilfre let out a small whine, but nodded away, stepping back to let the others inside. While the ones on the other side had no issue boarding, Wilfre waited until he was last to board, before the doors shut, beginning to depart while various URSF villagers waved goodbye and farewells to them, including Mayor Click.

Jowee and Zsasha seemed confused by the entire situation, though Zsasha moreso than Jowee. Mari had nudged Jowee and reminded him subdly, for Jowee to begin to remember quite easily. As for Zsasha, Isaac had simply whispered the situation in his ear, but made him sware not to tell anyone.

_Wilfre likes Dr. Cure, but is also my best friend. He can't choose between us._

* * *

><p>Answering "Emma".<p>

_Dude, Time of Shadow? Really? Isn't that used already?_

I have searched high and low before seriously considering on how I could write and tweak this until it didn't sound too similar to other cases. In my search I have found one, maybe two instances; but none are the near exact same concept. Particularly the reasoning behind why the Shadow Goo remains existing throughout the game series, as well as Sly's motivation to keep going. Ever think about why a Creation Hero can't completely destroy Shadow Goo no matter how many times he/she tries to? Or why Sly is still heavily motivated to do what he does? I'm pretty sure it's explained somewhere; but I'll explain it again.

Wilfre made the Shadow Goo in the first place; thus, not even the Creator can destroy it, even with a Creation Hero. He/She may weaken it, but never destroy it.

Wilfre, when bringing such Shadow Goo to life (unintentionally of course), wished for a world without need of a Creator, so that all Raposa would depend on themselves. As he was not the Creator, the wish became a sadistic curse; one that would remove the Creator's power somehow, even if death were involved.

_And what's with the deal of Wilfre OUT OF NOWHERE becoming the hero? It is clear to me you are nothing more than a Wilfre fangirl who wants to make him the hero._

It's also explained why; see above. Another thing to clear up is the reason why he's the hero here in this story. It's not for the glory of being one and getting respect, it's mostly because it's a punishment for the things he did in the past. I like Wilfre, yes I will admit that, but I can't say that I'm an outright fangirl. If I was, Wilfre wouldn't have the sword knocked out of his paws so often and in fact, wouldn't have those few near-death instances. Heck, heart containers would heal his wounds (oh wait in a case it did, but it wasn't only for him). He'd probably get paired up with an OC.

But uh, instead I made his strength and mortality like a normal Raposa's. Raposa aren't exactly known for strength and heroism, so he could easily die like any ordinary Raposa.

_And Sly. Was THAT the best name you can think of?_

Sly Hazard And Design Of Wilfre, altogether being an acronym for S.H.A.D.O.W. wasn't good at all? What would you suggest, then?

_And how is Wilfre a baby and Dr. Cure and adult in the flashbacks? So how is Dr. Cure STILL an adult?_

Wilfre was five in the flashback. Five does not equal an infant. It hasn't been revealed until now (Spoiler?), but Dr. Cure is only four years older. So she would be nine; thus, practicing how to give immunizations properly. (Thus, her name being Flora as opposed to Dr. Cure) The "Dr. Cure" mentioned in the flashback is actually her father. Sorry that wasn't clear; I'll go fix it soon, and thank you for pointing it out.

_And Wilfre. One would say he is 17 or so. In his LATE TEENS. And how did he out of NOWHERE become 24? 7 years had passed? Please, and you said Wilfre was 7 years older than Jowee. That makes him 17. And you said Wilfre was 17 when he stole the book. Wouldn't that make Jowee 10 and Mari 9 in DTL 1? Dude, it is CLEAR that only a FEW years passed._

The events of the games (and some of before the first game) would be a span of about seven years, yes. It may seem like a few and yes, condradicting how the Mayor explained the story. But then, remember when a family moved out of that one house? It was Jowee's house; and they left him behind. Thus, he lives alone. As for Mari, you see one flashback of her being a Rapo kid; when she and Jowee were at the Wishing Well. However, in the story flashback you see the same Rapo Girl walking up to and next to the Mayor. I thought it was Mari. Sorry if those were irrelevant.

Yes, that would make Jowee 17; but he sure doesn't act like one!

_And Heather. Human Heather never went into a coma, so Rapo Heather is a different person._

If I tried to explain this, it would be a major spoiler. Sorry; all I can say is that both she and Mike disappeared in a way no one would remember their existance. The exception would be those who became corrupted or were once corrupted; where they would regain those old memories.

_And how could you just say Sock and Salem were real? They were mere disguises, perhaps bodies Wilfre created that would be better than costumes._

Actually, I'm not the only one who believes they were real Raposa. I just believe it along with them, and decided to go that route. Though, looking back at Drawn to Life: the Next Chapter for DS, Sock and Salem did kind of look like they were trying to escape when Wilfre dies...

_And I believe people only like it because the chapters are long and this the only story here with 100K. And also perhaps you can't stop reading no matter how boring it gets for some reason. The suspense perhaps._

100k words? I didn't even know I had that many! While yes, there are interesting parts and there are boring parts; everything has those, just like life. I could go and write about every day they spend on Turtlerock or in a Village but I choose not to, it would be overdoing it. I have noticed that the pacing is indeed getting slower, but I think it's going to pick up soon. Hopefully.

_And how can you claim Isaac was Wilfre's best friend just like that? When the Mayor was telling about how Wilfre was corrupted shouldn't have Isaac interupted and told what he knew?_

Perhaps Isaac at the time was still pretty ticked at Wilfre for everything he'd done, especially when he and his family were put into cages, so he kept his mouth shut? Of course, the friendship thing is in no way canon; I never intended on that. It's a nice thing I believe in, and it adds more depth to characters who didn't get much from the games. So, I tried to aid them there.

I guess it didn't work out so well, huh?

_And also,why do you keep posting filler chapters?_

If I omitted every little piece of filler, it would be a shorter story; but there would also be much less interaction with the characters and story building. I'm sorry if there's too much of that or doesn't feel like it is what it should be.

_And one last thing, how can Wilfre's weild the Legendary Sword MEAN'T for the hero!?_

All I can truly say on the matter is that it was redesigned to suit only Wilfre. If anyone else weild the sword, it would have no effect on any Shadow Creatures.

All in all, thank you for writing these questions and pointing out some things. Hopefully my response will help you understand why I did some things. I wish I could've just responded to you directly but you lack an account to PM to. Sorry.


	33. 33 Lost in Imprisonment

I don't know if it's worth bothering to apologize anymore. So um... Take this as a peace offering.

This is the first (and hopefully, not only) chapter where we see a slice of life from the captured villagers. However, two of them die as you will see soon. Just a warning as well as this; there is a little description of gore. Though, I'm not sure if the worst thing to happen in this story is what I'm about to describe here or the events of chapter 02.

Also, thanks for being so patient and reviewing. Until now, I only just recently noticed that followers and faves are noted. Thanks for the following and faving too!

No more distraction. Onward!

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><p>33. Lost in Imprisonment<p>

A Raposa woman was shaking a limp Raposa male's body, as if trying to awaken him. "Please, you have to get up... Please NavyJ, get up...!" the woman had tears in her eyes, her voice becoming shaky as she shook him harder. "You have to get up, you HAVE to! O-Or else the Shadow Creatures will think you're being l-lazy and hurt you...!" one last time, she screamed it out. "GET UP, NAVYJ; I LOVE YOU!" Afterwards, she couldn't handle it anymore, breaking down into bitter sobs as she pulled her paws away from the quickly cooling body.

Some other Raposa had heard, coming over to see what'd happened. Another Raposa woman with a small daughter, who'd told her not to look; a golden-fur with a messy black uniform and sunglasses; and a gray-fur with a brown hat, outfit and vest. The gold-fur stepped closer to the body, feeling for a pulse on one of NavyJ's wrists, before frowning deeper in the terrible realization.

"He's gone, miss," he simply stated, standing back up. The woman began to sob harder from the news, while the others looked down in sorrow and grief.

"Not NavyJ..." the other Raposa woman whispered out sadly. The gray-fur approached the body, flipping NavyJ over onto his back, then placing his paws over his heart.

"A-At least..." he tried to speak, faltering a little before making himself finish, "He's in a better place now. He doesn't have to work for that motherra - I mean evil - Sly anymore. He can do as many gigs as he wants without getting tired... He probably has many fans in Rapo Heaven..." While the others nodded, the crying woman let out a final sniffle before at last calming down. The respectful moment of silence didn't last for long, as suddenly there was a terrible interruption.

"What are you all doing? Get back to work!" cried out the Shadow Gooed newcomer, floating in from above the Raposa. When they merely looked up at him in surprise, he sneered, nearing them further until he noticed the recently dead body they were looking over. Now almost in front of it, he groaned to himself. "Another one, already? I swear, you Raposa are worthless slaves. So weak and fragile, the lot of you." He snapped his paw, summoning a Shadow Walker. "Dispose of this rotting body with the others. The smell is already getting to me." As the Shadow Walker nodded and carried the body over its shoulder, the unrequited woman shed a few new tears as she helplessly watched the head, torso and arms sway limply with the Walker's moments, before unable to be seen anymore.

The mother, along with the others, couldn't help but glare deeply at Sly from the words he'd used. "We're WEAK to you?" the gray-furred one blurted in his anger, "That's all you say about him in his dying moments? He was WEAK and he only deserves to be thrown onto a pile of CORPSES?" Sly blinked, unintiminated by the words.

"Why, yes," he simply replied while his arms crossed, "It's only fair he goes where all the other slaves go, and yes; he was very weak. I was even starting to notice that his acts were getting lame... I thought about destroying him myself if it got any worse; but I guess I don't have to!"

"You... You monster...!" the gray-fur blurted again, while the gold-fur tried to quiet him down, but to no avail. Sly merely smirked, standing on the floor now, rather than floating.

"Uncreative, too," he simply retorted, "No wonder Wilfre tried to draw in the Book of Life so long ago; you're all weak, fragile and uncreative idiots. You follow something that has no power or say in saving you from my own, and you even make worthless slaves. None of you deserve a burial. If you're going to insult me, at least try a new, creative term. Anyways, I have much more important things to do; so be good worthless slaves and get back to what you were doing before that distraction got in the way." As he began to pad away with a snicker, the mother let out a low growl, unable to contain herself anymore as she sped toward Sly.

The others watched on as Sly perked his ears and turned, spawning his fake hands and using one of his paws to deflect the angered mother's attack. The child Rapo attempted to come forward, only for the gray-fur to signal for her not to. Instead, the vulnerable child clung to his leg. Then, the gray-fur yelled out, "Go Mya! Teach that Shadow Gooed freak a lesson!"

"Idiot," Sly stated once the next couple of attacks were deflected, "Don't you value your life, as worthless and fragile as it is?"

"Shut up...!" Mya yelled as she continued to angrily swipe and punch at Sly, whom only deflected every move she made, even counter-attacking. "How DARE you treat us like... Like Baki! Don't you have any heart at all?" The fury swipes were further dodged by Sly, who quickly became bored of the one-sided battle. The hopes of the others who were watching were plummeting as well, which made the situation even worse. The unrequited woman, at this point, had shakily gotten to her back paws, running off to hide somewhere safer; already going through so much pain that she just didn't want to see where this would end up. Frankly, no one stopped her, not even Sly; mostly because he was dealing with Mya and the rest, simply not caring about the matter.

"I have two," Sly replied once more, then finally shoving Mya a good distance away, "They're keeping me from killing you. But if you keep making yourself look like a fool, I will end your insignificant existence. Quite literally, you would die of embarrassment. Do you really want to do that? Your even weaker child is watching you at your worst, you know." Once shoved back, Mya actually looked behind her to consider her options. She was aware they were watching her, while Sly waited for her answer. However, she also seemed sure she would find some kind of weakness in Sly that would give her an advantage. So instead of backing out, she turned back to him, and charged again.

Sly sighed to himself with a shrug, before raising one of his fake hands into the air. Then, all was still and silent as the next thing they heard was a loud _crash_, followed by a sickening _crunch_. Sly had used the hand to easily smash Mya against the floor, the pressure making her skeleton unable to handle it, and shattering to pieces. Within moments of silence, Sly felt only two warm gusts of air hit against the palm, before there were no more. He felt the body go still and limp; lifeless. Sly allowed himself to snicker loudly as he began to feel the flood of warm blood against the palm, before finally pulling it away to reveal the broken body. Alike the palm of the fake hand Sly possessed, the body was also matted with blood, warm and fresh as it pooled around her. The remaining Raposa wrinkled their noses from the terrible scent.

"M... MUMMY!" the daughter had cried out the moment she saw the body, having hoped beyond hope Mya would've been alright, but it clearly wasn't so. Her eyes were wider than the others', filling with tears instantly, and unable to look away at the sight. While Sly shook the hand around in the air to attempt getting the blood off of it, the girl tried to run forward to see the body closer, only to be stopped by the adult Raposa nearby her. As much as she cried and struggled, they held her at bay, afraid of what Sly's reaction to letting her go and do so could be. Before she broke down entirely, she remembered a line Mya had said a few nights ago in their slave cell...

_"I promise, Cindi... When we go home, I will bake you cupcakes."_

Meanwhile, the gray-fur's once surprised and worried face soon became one of intense anger, wanting to reach a paw into his belt to pull out his whip. "You sick, twisted little freak...!" he yelled out in his fury, "When I get my paws on you, you'll be sorry you ever messed with-" Sly had simply summoned another Walker to dispose of the body, this time it being much like a ragdoll in the way it limply swayed as blood continued to pour. The gold-fur brought the traumatized Rapo girl away from the gray-fur, holding her closely while saying soothing words, making sure she was unable to look at the sight.

"You have just seen a free demonstration of my power," Sly smugly began once the lifeless Mya was taken away, "Of how easily I could kill each and every one of you if I wanted. Instead, I spared your meaningless lives and let you work for me in exchange of living. I've already lost two slaves, even though they were weak. One collapsed and died; the other rebelled and was punished. Tell me this, Mr. Famous Adventurer, would you like to become the third casualty of the day?" The gray-fur's eyes widened again from the words, beginning to think about it.

"It's not worth it, Indee," the gold-fur sighed a bit, "I know what he's done is unforgivable, but we need to remember he's much too strong for us to fight. Please, if not for us, but yourself, let it go..." As Indee thought about it more, he stepped back, looking down at his back paws as his paw went away from where his whip was, still feeling quite bitter however. Sly seemed to smirk from the action, as if satisfied with the answer.

"I didn't think so," was his reply, before addressing the other Raposa who had watched, "I hope all of you have learned something today. That is what happens to those who defy my rule; also the fact that their lives are easily disposable, and wouldn't be remembered aside from how foolishly they lost such a worthless existence. Now, if you all don't mind, I have much more important business to take care of." As he padded away, the gold-furred Raposa continued to comfort little Cindi as she bawled in his hold, while Indee shook with fury. He kicked a nearby rock as his teeth gritted.

"I can't believe this..." he seethed, his paws balled into fists, "He's such a wicked beast... Didn't let us even give NavyJ a moment of silence, and kills Mya without batting an eye... If he wasn't so powerful, I'd give him the taste of leather whip! Or you, Unagi! You could give him the taste of steel bullet!"

"It'll be okay, Cindi, shhh," Unagi continued to comfort, looking up again at Indee through his sunglasses. "Even though my pistol would provide an advantage, the bullets most likely wouldn't harm him. He is purely Shadow Goo, and that's not pure solid or liquid..." Indee grunted to himself, his ears drooping with a pout. Noticing this, Unagi went right back to tending to Cindi. "You only shared a cell with your mother, right? Well, why don't you come sleep with Indee and I's? Andy's there too, since he was alone when Farmer Brown and his wife... Went to Rapo Heaven."

"O-Okay, Mr. Unagi..." Cindi whimpered through her tears with a small nod, "I just d-don't want to be alone..."

Indee's face softened from the list of names, thinking about something while his ears drooped further. "I wish my son would be with me," he muttered at first, sighing to himself before turning to face both of them, "But Reece got stuck with... With that vampire. There's just something fishy about him..." While he said this, Unagi got an idea to help lessen Cindi's pain, pulling away from the embrace to look into her eyes.

"Cindi, if you want me to, I can help you feel better," he began softly, "It won't bring your mother back, but you'll feel better about what happened to her. I can make the pain go away." Cindi's eyes widened a little, taking it in a different way than Unagi had intended.

"Am I going to... J-Join her?" was what she simply asked. Unagi let a small smile form on his lips, shaking his head.

"No, nothing like that..." he said at first, "Besides, you need to be able to see your father again, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah, I do," she nodded a little, then sniffled once more, "But how will you take the pain away?" While Indee watched with interest, Unagi reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a little white stick with a light on it.

"If you let me," he replied softly, in a way a young Rapo would understand, "I'll just use this device to make you forget seeing what you did. You won't remember how your mother died. All you would have to do is to look into this little bulb here-" he paused to motion where he said, then continuing on, "And afterward, I would tell you what happened, in a way where it wouldn't disturb you so much. Would that be alright, Cindi?"

Cindi thought about the idea for a little while, but at the same time was unsure whether or not to go along with it. Meanwhile, Indee approached the two, quickly understanding what Unagi was going to do. "Cindi, maybe it's best to let him do it," he started, though in a softer voice. "I don't think a small child like you deserves to see something that awful. The last memory of your mother should be something more innocent and happy. You just won't remember how it happened, so it won't be so painful for you."

At last, Cindi nodded her head a little in reply. "Okay, Mr. Unagi..."

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><p>It was hours later when a vampire Raposa came into the room, now completely deserted. He stumbled a bit in sleepy steps, not being able to get enough sleep for the past week or so. In this area, his nose picked up a strong stench of blood and death. As he padded further into the room, the stenches grew stronger at two certain places, even when there was no evidence to be found. Then, both the scents joined together as they made a path. Rubbing his wary eyes in sleepiness, the vampire Raposa became curious and followed the trail.<p>

Eventually it led him out a pair of double doors, which he easily exited and continued to follow the trail. Not too long after, he stopped at a gorge, a long and steep fall that would follow a next step. It was here that the scents increased tenfold as his gaze fell upon several decaying bodies of deceased Raposa. His eyes widened from the sight of the corpses, seeing nearly everyone whom he thought was missing. Farmer Brown and his wife, Tubba and Bubba, Galileo and his family, even poor ol' Crazy Barks. Looking even closer, there were even more recent corpses; NavyJ and... Mya.

He fell to his knees in anguish, not sure what to make of the sight before him. His eyes shut to keep tears from springing to them, his ears drooping low. For a while, he thought about what he could do at this point, before a crazy idea came to mind. He got onto his back paws once more, padding away from the cliff; before sprinting toward it and jumping clear over the gorge, landing safely on the other side. He didn't stop, sprinting further until he found what appeared to be an open field, untouched by living creatures of any sort. He turned back, heading back to the bodies; and one by one, he carried each into the field, no matter how decayed and smelly they were.

Once all of the bodies were escorted to the field, the vampire searched for the right amount of stones to use. Afterwards, he extended his claws, having three times the length and strength of average Raposa claws. With that, he began to dig.

It wasn't until after every body was buried in these holes and after carving each name into each stone when he stopped, panting a little with a tearstained face as he looked upon his handiwork under the moonlight. His whole body and clothes were covered in dirt, and his paws were throbbing from the intense use of his claws. His legs exhausted, he fell into an upright sitting position, bringing his knees close to his chest and resting his head on them. In another few moments, he shut his eyes with a small sniffle, wiping his tears away with his paws, even if they were the most dirty. He knew he would need a major bath later, but at the moment, was too sleepy to care.

He was soon asleep while thinking it over, looking at the field one more time before losing consciousness.

The field was now a graveyard.

The vampire awoke once more when he felt a paw poke at his shoulder. He looked around frantically before he met the eyes of a young Rapo boy. "Count Choco, why're you sitting here by yourself?" the boy asked, while the Count relaxed. He would've asked how the young Rapo had ventured out here, over the gorge and into the field's beginning if he hadn't been so sleepy.

"Something led me here..." he only replied at first, looking upon the scene a second time, "Then I saw so many bodies ov our vallen villagers. I didn't think avter that, only vocusing on giving them proper burials like they deserved. I knew they vere missing, but I never knew that they..." The boy sat down beside the Count, looking at the graveyard then back at the dirt-covered vampire.

"I hope Dad doesn't become one of the buried..." was the boy's reply, a deep frown on his face now. Count Choco nodded, his face just as sorrowful as the boy's.

"Reece, he is a strong Raposa," he began, turning toward him as he spoke, "He vouldn't go so easily. You know that he has been through much vorse, and he is stubborn towards death. Stubborn like a... Vell, I can't say 'bull', because it vouldn't vit quite right..."

"Ram, then," Reece smiled a bit, nodding a bit to himself. "He's an Aries, after all. And if you ask me, he sure acts like one! Always charging ahead and never thinking of consequences, easily grows impatient about things, has the enthusiasm fit for an army, loves new challenges and adventures... Even though it feels like he bit off more than he can chew..." The Count laughed a bit, getting onto his back paws once more, while the Rapo boy quickly followed.

"A true mark of the Aries..." he said through his chuckle, Reece holding onto his paw a little, even though they were still quite dirty, as they headed back toward the large double doors, "You know, it's vunny... I'm a vampire, but also a Virgo..."

"Why is it funny, Count Choco?" Reece asked once more, confusion clouding his young face.

"Oh, don't vorry about it, Reece," the Count chuckled again, waving his other paw a bit before heading inside with him, "You'll understand once you're older." After a bit more of thought, he smiled wider. "I have an idea..."

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><p>"Reece!" Indee couldn't help but cry out as he embraced his son, having watched him approach the cell door along with Count Choco, the former running inside once the door was opened. "That vampire hasn't done anything to you, has he? I swear, if he did..."<p>

"Rest assured, Adventurer," the Count replied with an honest grin, "I have not harmed your son. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to... Oh, how you say it... 'Hose myself off'." Without another word, the vampire Raposa padded away from them. Indee blinked from the quick departure, noticing that the Count was covered in dirt. Soon, the father and son had pulled away, though Indee held onto Reece's arms fondly.

"Where did all that dirt come from...?" Unagi couldn't help but murmur to himself, with Cindi and another Rapo boy sitting near him. "Surely Sly didn't... 'Talk' to him, did he?"

"Count Choco was... Burying everyone," Reece bluntly replied, to the awe of the others in the cell.

"BURYING?" Indee echoed loudly, before lowering his voice, "You mean to tell me that he managed to get OUTSIDE?"

"Yeah, and I did too," came another reply from Reece, "Apparently when a Raposa died here, they were thrown into a ditch. I guess Count Choco didn't think that was right, so he... Buried all of them."

"E-Even Mummy?" Cindi squeaked, her voice barely understandable, "Even Andy's mummy and daddy?" The Rapo boy beside her frowned from rememberence.

"Yes, you mom, and Andy's parents..." Reece tried to remember the grave names, "Everyone who was in the ditch..."

After a little longer of thinking, Unagi spoke once again. "If Count Choco and you know how to get outside... We may be able to escape from this place."

"We could come together, and fight our way out!" Indee suddenly smirked triumphantly. "And run as far as we can go... Free from this horrible place!"

"Then, once everyone is safely out," Unagi continued, a smile forming on his face as well, "We can find the village, and hopefully it won't be deserted by now..."

"Well, even if it is, we can still live in it!" Reece added in, becoming enthusiastic from the plan that was forming. "We could repair it as well as we can! And wait and see if the others will come back..."

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><p>"Important, indeed..." Sly mused to himself as he padded into a private room, far from any normal Raposa's reach. In the center was a podium, and on top of it lay only a large book. Sly floated over to the podium, using his paws to open it with ease. "I already can feel the power from the URSF slip away from my clutches. Those stubborn Raposa are getting quite quick at foiling my attempts..." He paused here as he flipped at an empty page of the large book, thinking about something.<p>

"Knowing them, they're probably heading back to their own, barren village to complete the withdrawl..." he growled after saying this, glaring heavily into the one, tall stained glass window; the window portraying the hand of the Creator drawing something to existence in a literal fashion. "If they succeed in that, I'll only have my pseudo minions, as well as the two Raposa life forces within me, for power. Then, if I'm without even my minions, I won't be strong enough to keep HER from interfering!" He hissed the very pronoun, flipping through the pages, more aggressively now. His anger began to rise as he continued once more, "It's already bad enough that 'Drew' still hasn't regained his memories. Things would've been taken care of a long time ago if they would've just come back already! With no Wilfre, those fools can't do ANYTHING! But no, Drew is still in the dark about who he is; or at least, who he USED to be!"

He heaved a deep sigh once he paused once more, resting his shadowed elbows on the pages as his paws held his chin. "I need a new approach... Something to make them stop in their tracks," he began to himself, thinking some more. "Something that would tear Wilfre's sanity apart, to make him want me to keep him once again. But what would do that to him? Through it all, I must admit that he's a tough nut to crack. Unless..."

The page he flipped to the third time around was a list of names, and above the words "Village Mayors". However, only seven names were written, the last courtesy of the Creator. At the space below the name, Sly began to grin wickedly.

"If the Mayor goes, then will her little lover, then the others until..." he cackled softly, "Until Wilfre is alone, and chooses to give in to me. All I'll have to do to get little Mari to join is a little... Bribery." His cackle became louder and even turned into a laugh as he slammed the book shut, revealing the title of it.

_Book of Life_.


	34. 34 Can't Say No

I seem to choose the oddest of times to update. I wish I understood it.

Hugs for the readers! And thanks for reading and reviewing, once again.

Protip: Never easedrop on your BFFL and his crush/love interest with an ex-thief. Just don't.

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><p>34. Can't Say No<p>

"You LIKE her, don't you?" Isaac smirked, his arms crossed. Earlier, he'd pulled Wilfre into one of the bedrooms to talk to him privately.

"W-... Who're you implying?" Wilfre almost immediately replied, only to make Isaac roll his eyes (or at least seemed like it).

"Oh, only the sole, female doctor in this ship," Isaac argued smoothly, "And now, you're pretty much ill for her..." Wilfre blushed deeply as he appeared defiant, shaking his head.

"You've got it all wrong, Isaac," he sighed, before turning to face him again, "I missed seeing her and wish to rekindle what was lost. We're friends, nothing more." Instead of arguing back, Isaac merely adjusted his thick glasses smugly.

"Maybe you should get tested on how severe the case is..." was all he said, to which Wilfre perked his ears with a deeper blush, crossing his own arms now.

"... Not funny," he finally said, hinting at admitting defeat, which Isaac caught. "We're not children anymore. There's no need to react so immaturely."

"It's only payback for the way you reacted when I fell for Mya, Wilfre," Isaac chuckled, approaching him and patting his shoulder. "You had your fair share of mouthing out dirty remarks, you know."

"That was then!" Wilfre couldn't help but exclaim, though realized with a sigh that Isaac was right. "But this is now... However, I wouldn't have a chance. She's, well... Isn't she married? Or at least spoken for?"

There was a bit of a pause after those words. The last time he could recall, Isaac did in fact remember a significant other Dr. Cure had; and she was rather happy with the guy. The more he thought about it, though, he soon came to realize something else.

"When was the last time she even mentioned him, then?" he simply asked.

"Never, at least around me," Wilfre replied a few moments after thinking it over himself. "Come to think of it, she never even acted like she missed him. Surely if she was so happy with him, she would at least acknowledge him from time to time..."

"Maybe then, you should ask her," was Isaac's response after another few moments of thinking, "If, for some reason, she's single... You'll have a chance after all!" he would've continued if it weren't for overhearing Zsasha pad into the other bedroom and shut the door. Isaac made a small whine noise as he headed out of the room, much to Wilfre's confusion. "Ahh, Zsasha! I wanted to have that room!" As Wilfre followed a few paces, Zsasha opened the door again in a crack.

"Then don't be so slow next time, Tubba," Zsasha stated flatly before shutting the door once more, locking it afterward. Isaac gaped from the reaction, his eye twitching with a deep glare growing on his face.

"Tubba?!" he yelled out this time, his paws balled into fists, "Hey! What're you implying, you sneaky little rat? I could SO pick that lock, walk in there and kick your sorry a-"

"Isaac, relax!" Wilfre interrupted, gently pulling Isaac by the arm to lead him away from the door. "Don't let a phrase like that get to you."

"I know, I know," Isaac sighed, letting Wilfre do so, his glare softening, "He didn't have to be so rude. First he had the tendency to steal my merchandise and now he just stole my room..."

Wilfre hmmed a bit in thought, before trekking back to the opposite room, in front of it now. "Then perhaps we could just stay in here? The bedrooms are the same design-" This time, Wilfre was cut off when he noticed Dr. Cure padding into the small hall with them. Isaac noticed, then shrugging. Once Dr. Cure was in front of them, she blinked in confusion.

"Did I just hear that Zsasha took a room to himself again?" she asked. When the two boys nodded, she frowned deeper. "He's so closed up, that Raposa... And here I thought Samuel was the distant one."

"Don't worry about it, Dr. Cure," Isaac replied, waving it off. "Oh, Wilfre said he wanted to talk to you about something-"

"W-What?!" Wilfre interrupted, his eyes widening, "I said nothing of the so-" Isaac put a paw over Wilfre's mouth, stopping him from saying anything more.

"It's a matter he wanted to discuss with you alone," he afterwards continued, as if Wilfre didn't object. Then, leaning in toward her a bit, he whispered out, "He's just a little too shy to bring it up himself." Wilfre was trying to pull Isaac's paw off his mouth, but it was all in vain as his grip was firm.

"Er, I see..." Dr. Cure rose an eyebrow, padding into the empty room when Isaac dragged Wilfre away from the doorway, "Where will you sleep then, Isaac?"

"Oh, the sofa will do; it's just for tonight," he answered calmly with a chuckle, then nudging Wilfre into the room with her, "Anyway, I'll leave you two Rapolovers - I mean, you two - alone so Wilfre can get on with whatever he needed to talk to you about. As for me, I'm off to bed. Boy, it was a long day and all..." Dr. Cure caught the remark Isaac attempted to hide, her face becoming... A bit nervous about what could happen. Then, as she thought about it more, she remembered the conversation she had with Samuel...

_"Are you saying that he likes me?" Dr. Cure soon asked. To her surprise, Samuel actually chuckled a bit, a slightly wider smile appearing as he looked at her directly now._

_"That depends on your definition of 'like', Doctor," was his answer. _

"S... Sleep well, Isaac," she finally said aloud, her thoughts making her feel even more nervous, even outright scared. Finally, Isaac had pushed Wilfre into the room entirely, let go of his mouth, and finally grabbed the doorknob.

"Goodnight!" he cheerily said in response, smiling innocently before he shut the door. After a few more moments, he lent close to the door, his ears perked to listen to their conversation. The door from across the hall opened up again as Zsasha peeked.

"Did it work?" he asked quietly. Isaac nodded, a smirk appearing on his face as he motioned for Zsasha to come over to the door.

"Like a charm," he replied just as quietly, seeing Zsasha start listening in as well. There wasn't much talking going on from inside at first, so Zsasha decided to add some more words.

"I didn't mean that 'Tubba' remark..." He started, his face becoming guilty. "Sorry." Isaac waved it off as the two continued to listen in.

"I've been called much worse," was his reply, before adding, "What you should be sorry for is all the things you stole from me in the past."

"Sorry," Zsasha almost immediately said again.

"You didn't mean it that time," Isaac rose an eyebrow at the masked ex-thief. Zsasha remained quiet for a minute, as if thinking it through.

"... I mean it now," he finally squeaked out, this time sounding legitimately regretful. "I once always said that I strived to be the greatest thief in the world, even though I decided to return whatever I took. Nowadays, I don't even know why I do it. I know it's not right, but..."

"It could be a medical condition, you never know," Isaac replied, his tone less edgy, "Though, I've never heard of a condition that makes you want to steal even though you know you shouldn't..." There was another amount of silence as Zsasha continued to think it over.

"Dr. Cure was right, I shouldn't be so closed up," once more he whispered, Isaac actually starting to become concerned for his state of being, "Least of all to her. She could've been able to help me a long time ago if I would've just let her... If I'd just asked. Is it too late now?"

"No, of course not," Isaac smiled softly with a quiet chuckle, "It's never too late to get help for things like that. I'm sure she'll know just what to do for you. And she'll care to the ends of the world; it's her passion, not just a job." From the words, Zsasha began to have hope in his eyes, a smile beginning to form on his face.

"Thank you," he spoke, more happily this time, "Thank you for understanding, Isaac. I'll be sure to ask her soon." Isaac chuckled once more, his grin widening.

"No problem," he replied, "Now, let's see if they ki-" He was cut off when a back paw pounded against the door from behind, causing both Zsasha and Isaac to reel back with high-pitched screams of fear.

"GO TO BED, ISAAC!" they heard Wilfre yell out in rage, only to be responded to with the loud padding of paws as the two easedroppers fled the hall. Once they were away from the hall, Isaac couldn't help but snicker nonetheless.

"Totally worth it," he managed through his snicker. Zsasha only let out a tiny, nervous chuckle before he'd calmed down.

"That was kind of fun..." he added.

The rest of the night was followed with slumber from Isaac and Zsasha, whom decided to share the sofa, as Zsasha felt that he didn't have to sleep alone. Despite sleeping on the opposite end of the sofa, he still felt comforted in the fact he wasn't alone any longer, with having bonded slightly with the shopkeeper whom he once stole from. There were several other people he'd stolen from, but he decided not to think about them, and instead found Isaac special... The night passed so fast Zsasha hardly noticed, only realizing it was morning when Isaac nudged a paw lightly against his shoulder to awaken him.

"Come on, Sleepyhead," he spoke quietly with a small smile, "Time to get up. The others are probably waiting for us outside." Zsasha grunted to himself, shifting his position slightly.

"Five more minutes?" he spoke in a half-asleep manner. "Or maybe ten?" Isaac sighed with an eyeroll, before relenting and stepping away from him.

"Fine, five more minutes," he replied, heading toward the hall instead. "I have to get the Rapolovers up anyway, and knowing Wilfre, he probably won't be any easier to awaken." Zsasha merely let out a mmm noise to acknowledge that he heard Isaac, before shutting his eyes entirely once more, hoping to catch a few extra Z's. He overheard Isaac knock on the door Wilfre and Dr. Cure were sleeping in.

"Time to get up, you two!" Isaac greeted as innocently as possible, doing the best he could to not sound like he was about to burst into laughter. "Everyone's probably waiting for us outside, so..." From inside, Wilfre stirred, opening his eyes and then shut them again to rub them with his paws. Once his vision was somewhat clearer, he sat up in the bed, looking over at the still slumbering Dr. Cure. Just before he had her in his arms once again, except this time she'd been well aware and was fine with it.

He let out a long yawn and a heavy stretch before nudging the Doctor's shoulder to hopefully wake her. "Flora..." he called gently, his eyes going half-shut, "Isaac says it's time to get up." Dr. Cure, or 'Flora' as Wilfre referred to her as, barely opened her eyes with a small, sleepy whine.

"Tell him to put a sock in it," she replied drowsily before turning over in the bed. Wilfre couldn't help but smile from her words.

"I would, but he's my best friend," he said as he reached to the back of his head to scratch, "And I've yelled at him enough already." He stopped when he noticed something odd.

His hair wasn't in a ponytail. He blinked as he quickly remembered that it'd be brought out of the ponytail sometime last night, but as of now didn't truly mind why. However, the case that his hair tie wasn't anywhere to be found, he began to panic a little.

"Er, Flora," Wilfre started again as he scooted out of bed, "Where did you toss my hair tie? I kind of need that, you know..."

Meanwhile, Zsasha got on with his own yawn and stretch as he made himself wake up after the five minutes of added rest he was given. He'd immediately fallen asleep once again and was startled when Isaac nudged him a second time. After this, he sat up and left the sofa, rubbing his eyes from under his mask to clear his sleepy vision. He vaguely remembered that he accidentally left his backpack in the opposite bedroom that he "claimed" for himself last night, so he padded off to go get it before he forgot later on.

Soon he'd found the backpack in question, sitting on the floor of the room and completely undisturbed. He slipped it back on after briefly rummaging through it to make sure all of his belongings were still safely inside. Luckily nothing seemed out of place or missing, so he sighed in relief. There just were some things no one needed to see, after all.

Well, maybe Drew and Samuel one day, but no one else and certainly not anytime soon. As for Isaac, that was yet to be determined entirely.

By the time he'd returned to the main room, the other three Raposa were gathered, waiting to depart. There was Isaac of course, but now also Wilfre and Dr. Cure. Both of the newcomers seemed nonchalant and normal enough, even though Zsasha could sense a bit of a flicker in Wilfre's eyes, signalling that there was something slightly different about him. Of course, there was a good idea what it could be, but Zsasha and Isaac decided to remain oblivious to the situation, though Isaac seemed less subtle about it.

The other four were indeed waiting outside for them as they departed from the ship, finding Mari, Jowee, Samuel and Drew. Drew was waving at them as they came out with happiness, as if he was greeting some old friends. While he retained that innocent gaze and gestures, he, Samuel and possibly Mari noticed the same flicker in Wilfre's eyes, as well as the way he and Dr. Cure were subconsciously interacting with each other. It wasn't very obvious, but the signs were there.

Once everyone was on Turtlerock, the course was quickly set for the Village. There was no time to waste...

* * *

><p>It was already a week after they all were on Turtlerock, and yet it would be another three or four before the Village was reached to aide. The Raposa aboard had several different ways to pass the time, and did all they could to keep from being bored or too overly excited. Mari, Jowee, Samuel and Wilfre weren't going to be excited much at all, knowing just how recent it was that they left the village, and already knew just how badly it was in disrepair. As for the rest of them, it was a barrage of mixed results.<p>

Isaac was already informed that he was, well, homeless now, which did bother him to know that his family and belongings were nowhere to be seen. However, he relaxed from the thought that somehow, it would be brought back, or even rebuilt entirely. But his family... Oh, he didn't want to think about how they could be holding up, wherever they were. There was no way he could replace them; they were much too important and special.

First, he'd busied himself with repairing the broken window Sly left behind a while ago after a failed attempt to murder Drew. Truth be told, alike Samuel and the Mayors, being corrupted had shown him the true events of the past concerning the loss of color. He remembered Mike and Heather, but was just as confused as the others as to why no one else would remember unless corrupted. To himself, he thought that if every Raposa on the planet was to be corrupted by Sly, they would regain the truth; but it was also a bad omen to wish upon several million, if not billion, innocent lives and all for just some memories no one wants to truly remember anyway.

Once the window was finished being fixed, he would spend his time organizing the almost empty stock in the shop that was still there. Then he remembered that he still needed to upgrade Jowee's acorn shooters; and boy did they need it. It took him a few days, but it was worth it as he gave the shooters back to Jowee with instruction. Normally he would've charged a fortune in Rapo Tokens for the multiple upgrades needed for the weapons but let Jowee off under the current circumstances.

With everything out of the way, it wasn't until another week after the first and a few days that Drew visited him, to ask about the journals...

As for Zsasha, he continued to think about what he'd said to Isaac the night before getting back onto Turtlerock; that he would talk to Dr. Cure about helping his... He was labeling it as a "condition" at this point as it seemed fitting enough for the time being. Lately, he noticed that most of Dr. Cure's time was being spent with Wilfre, which made him feel upset inside but of course knew why it was happening. Every time he would come within ten feet of her, he would almost immediately see Wilfre nearby. Quickly Zsasha would feel intimidated and back off, scurrying away in hopes of never being seen in the first place.

In times like this, Zsasha had no other choice. If he wasn't going to be able to get medical help from a trained professional, he was going to have to go about it in a more natural, spiritual manner. At least, until Dr. Cure has the time to see to him. But he had faith in the other individual, and hoped it would be as good of a solution, even if for the time being. Then again, if there was no way to see Dr. Cure, then...

With a sigh, he drooped his ears as he half-heartedly padded toward the Creation Hall of Turtlerock. This is where the aforementioned Raposa had been spending his time throughout all the times on Turtlerock; but since it didn't have any good insulation at night, he would venture out and sleep in an actual house for warmth, as any Raposa with sense would do. Early questioning is just responded with "I find it pleasant here," but later more information is discovered as "I feel close to Mother Nature, which is why I find here to be pleasant." Who this "Mother Nature" he spoke of was of any guess to Zsasha, as well as anyone else who heard of the term.

It didn't take long for Zsasha to reach the Creation Hall. He reached a paw to the doorknob, and slowly opened the door, bracing himself for what lay ahead.

* * *

><p>As the weeks passed, the temperature spiraled downward quickly; which was a bit unusual as the years before now would always have a gradual decrease. A few times it even began to snow across the waters, and the Raposas' reactions to the event were far from mixed. Most, if not all, seemed to gain brightened moods from the sight. It reminded them all about the previous, happy winters with their traditional Snowball Fight; but Mari, Jowee and Isaac remembered even more of when the tradition started.<p>

Wilfre was surprised out of his mind when he'd felt a ball of cold wet snow plaster against the back of his head. Turning around, he noticed that Isaac was the one who threw it. With a playful growl, Wilfre bent down and scooped up some snow for himself, padding it into a ball, ready to fire. Isaac flipped and turned to flee, only to be hit in the face by Jowee, whom was nearby. He let out a small laugh of triumph, before Wilfre decided to silence it with his own snowball.

It was replaced by a yelp as Wilfre immediately rearmed himself with another snowball, his eyes darting back and forth, as if to acknowledge any other further opponents. He knew of the tradition as well as the others, but of course this was the first time he'd ever been able to participate in it. Briefly he did remember when he mentioned snow to Jowee the day he first awoke. He cleared it of his mind just in time to dodge incoming fire from Jowee, as he'd recovered and armed himself. It was clear Jowee either didn't care anymore or had forgotten, so Wilfre left it alone to further deal with him.

Just as he was about to, he noticed Isaac regain his posture, and his ears perked with adrenaline. He ended up dodging another few snowballs and had to duck for cover. Nearby, a third Raposa ran into the fray, pelting two individual snowballs at both Jowee and Isaac with a battle cry. Isaac and Jowee let out yells of fear, trying to dodge but ran into each other instead, falling to the snow covered ground. The newcomer, Dr. Cure, came over to Wilfre and held out a paw for him to take.

"Two on one's not fair, huh?" she simply asked as Wilfre smiled, taking her paw and getting back onto his back paws. As Jowee and Isaac attempted to get back up and dust the snow off their clothes, more combatants appeared into the fray, being Mari and Drew. Drew stayed behind, confused at the sight of Mari and the others going about their business of snowball throwing.

"Mari, why is everyone throwing snow at each other?" he couldn't help but ask in his confusion, however making sure to keep his distance, lest someone target him. Mari let out a small giggle as she rounded up a good pile of snow in her paws, making them into snowballs.

"It's our village's tradition," she began to explain as she threw and dodged, though one hit her in the knee but it didn't stop her in the least. "To have an annual snowball fight every Winter. It started a few years ago, when my dad was the Mayor; after Jowee thought it would be funny to hit Farmer Brown's son, Andy, with a snowball. He ended up hitting me instead, and I got mad..."

Drew listened intently to the explanation, thinking for a bit before asking more. "So it's just like how it is now?"

"The first time was with the Hero," Mari continued on, her smile widening as she remembered, "Dad said it was 'The Hero versus everybody', which wasn't so fair to me, but the Hero didn't mind at all; actually, he seemed to have as much fun as we did! But when I took over and the Hero left, I changed it so that now, it's simply 'Every Person To Themselves'. So Drew, did you want to play?" After she'd finished with that question, Drew couldn't help but smile himself with a nod, quickly bending down to make his own snowballs. Then, without thinking, he ran off into the fray, much to Mari's amusement and the others' surprise. Then, he let out a yell, declaring the actual beginning of the event.

"Snowball fight!"

The last two Raposa, Samuel and Zsasha, only knew about the snowball fight taking place when they began to overhear the commotion outside the Creation Hall. They'd gotten up from where they were, and opened the door curiously to see what was happening. Fortunately it hadn't been anything they could've feared, such as a 'visit' from Sly, but just the traditional village snowball fight taking place. Samuel simply shook his head with a small chuckle, while Zsasha seemed eager to join in, believing that his sneaky skills would come in handy for this sort of game. Samuel didn't seem to want to join at first, but when he felt Zsasha tugging on his arm lightly to pull him out of the Creation Hall, Samuel finally complied, joining in as well.

In the end, everyone was too cold, wet and battered with snowballs to be able to tell who the winner was. They ended the game, and soon everyone had changed into warmer, drier clothing. Each of the Raposa were now huddled together around a small fireplace, each with their own blanket and mug of hot chocolate. Mari and Jowee sat next to each other, as was the same with Wilfre and Dr. Cure; except Isaac was to the opposite side of Wilfre as well. Samuel was sitting near Zsasha, with Drew on Samuel's other side. No one was able to have marshmallows or any topping on their cocoa, but it was fine as it was. The thought mattered more than all else.

They enjoyed this moment, just taking the time to talk, swap stories and memories, and outright bonding with each other. Before now, where they have to wait weeks to return to their village to begin restoring it, there were so few times that they could just relax and be who they were at heart - Raposa; social creatures who love parties and Banya muffins. It was also by now that Wilfre was understanding this feeling more than ever, the feeling of being so accepted and cared about like nothing ever went wrong and that he was a completely normal person.

He was a Raposa.

For the longest time, he took the fact for granted, not truly understanding the meaning behind the phrase. Whether the others knew the meaning or took it lightly like he did, he didn't know. One thing was for sure, however, he realized it. No, it wasn't just a fact, and no, it wasn't just a declaration of species. Mari even seemed to hint it at Jowee in the beginning.

_"That's the thing, Jowee. He ISN'T corrupted by the Shadow anymore. He's one of US. And as long as he is, we will TREAT him like one."_

That was it. He was a Raposa, but that wasn't the point.

He was one of them. He belonged.

From the emotion beginning to well inside of him, he had to do all he could to keep tears from forming. Dr. Cure put a paw on his shoulder, seeming to notice; but it only backfired as it made the tears harder to hide. Dear Creator, did it feel wonderful to feel acceptance; to feel loved; to feel like he belonged. Being 'one of them' wasn't considered an insult to him anymore, as now his judgement was no longer clouded by Sly's manipulative power, or the naitivity of his late teenage years. The latter being the time when he thought he knew everything, but in actuality knew nothing, just as the Creator said later down the road.

Time had changed him in several ways, first letting him be freed in the first place, then later on, curing his once manipulated mind. He made up with Isaac for not listening to him when he should've most; and it allowed Mari and Jowee, along with many others, to trust him. So now, free to think on his own without anyone else corrupting it, even himself, the phrase now sounds like a compliment; one of the highest regard.

_I belong._


	35. 35 Some Side Quests

They made it at last! Now, a lot of things are going to be happening at once, so this is why sequences of the chapter will be much shorter than normal. I'm considering the Seven Ancients more of an extra thing in favor of the main story being more important to bring up.

My math was wrong earlier; this makes the story 3/4 complete at this point. Originally there was going to be much more, but I couldn't bridge the gaps, so now it's what it is.

Another note is that from what you will see, I mixed the Gate doors from the first Drawn to Life and the Gate doors of Drawn to Life: the Next Chapter for Wii together. Thanks to a wonderful walk-through of the latter game, I can use the events for the story, although it will be really minor (aside from why they're even mentioned).

... I have yet to know how DJ and Erika will be mentioned, let alone used in the story, though... More prisoners? Living in a different place in the Raposa world? Maybe you guys can help me out here.

Thanks for reviewing, stalking, reading, favoriting, following, and being so patient.

I present... Chapter 35.

* * *

><p>35. Some Side Quests<p>

To the surprise of the Raposa, the village had very little change. While most of it was still the large crater surrounding the remains, water had flooded into a once mildly blocked dam, causing said crater to be filled with it. As they looked further into the distance, they found that the things Sly couldn't destroy were the Gates. No one truly knew why the Gates were still standing, safe and unharmed, as well as ground directly nearby and below them. It could be due to that they were protected by an enchantment or barrier set up by the Creator.

The first was the Gate leading to the coldest places of the Raposa world - either leading to the Snow or up even higher, the Icy Wastes. The second was also split, leading either into the vast Forests or the temperate Jungles of Jangala. The third was fairly obvious, but only lead into the Rapo Islands. The fourth followed example, only leading into the other three locations; but at Windy Hills, there was a split that led further into the Land of the Eastern Winds.

Last and certainly not least was the Secret Gate, where originally only led to the old cave Wilfre once used as a lair. However, through a strange turn of events, it now was surrounded in a large place called Shadow City. Only within the walls of the city, followed by inside the walls of the palace would anyone find the lair. It was considered dangerous, if not completely suicidal to trek through it all for ordinary Raposa; thus, the best option would have a Creation Hero do the trekking instead.

Unless of course if being a Raposa also meant being Wilfre; then it wasn't at all a dangerous trek, as only he knew that there was a safe shortcut.

Out of the barren trees, the Raposa made makeshift rafts to lead them to the Gates. Luckily, there were enough rafts to match the number of Gates, so it was possible to go through all five of them in one fell swoop. Well, they would if there were enough Raposa to go in pairs. As there was no Creation Hero to do the task, they decided it would be safer to head out in pairs. So, since only four could be accessed at a time, Mari decided to make a plan. As they all knew that Sly was losing power fast, she explained that the areas in the Gates must be warned about Sly. In this way, they could all prepare for possible invasions.

First, Jowee and Samuel would go through the Forest Gate, working together to visit both Deadwood and the Monkey King. Despite once being trapped in a Shadow Goo cage inside of the corrupted Deadwood, Samuel voiced out that he and Deadwood shared a very close bond, and knew his way around the Forests like the back of his paw. Meanwhile Jowee, whom went with the Creation Hero of the past to see the Monkey King, knew how to get there and what to bring as a peace offering; even when before it was clear the Raposa and Monkeys were on good terms, treaty or no treaty.

Second, Wilfre and Drew would venture through the Secret Gate, in search of clues for where Sly's lair would be. They immediately discarded the idea that it would be in any of Wilfre's old lairs, because it would become too easy to find him, and Sly himself would know this. Drew primarily wanted to come along as a chance to see if any of his lost memories would resurface; even though Wilfre was reluctant to allow any chance of it happening. At this point, even he was starting to doubt that he would win the bet Sly and him made a while ago. The more he looked at Drew, the more familiar he seemed to become...

Third, Dr. Cure and Zsasha would head through the Rapo City/Windy Hills/Rapo Towers/Eastern Winds Gate (Okay seriously what is the name of this Gate), to warn any Raposa in the City, Windy Hills, and whoever resided in the Eastern Winds. At first, it was just Dr. Cure that was going alone, but Zsasha saw an opportunity to finally speak about his condition, and asked if he could go along. Mari and Dr. Cure allowed it without any trouble. Although the opportunity was opening up, Zsasha wasn't all too fond of going to the Eastern Winds, but no one knew why and Zsasha liked it that way.

The last two Raposa, Mari and Isaac, decided to stay behind and protect the Village, in case any rogue Shadow Creatures attacked or to keep the Village from falling apart further. However, Isaac stayed behind to hopefully forge a new sword for Wilfre, as his old one would do no good anymore. Until Wilfre had a new sword to use, he and Drew couldn't leave the village to venture into his old lair. As Samuel, Jowee, Dr. Cure and Zsasha didn't have this handicap, they started on their way, with goodbyes given to each Raposa. Dr. Cure and Wilfre were sure to make their farewells as curt as the others, which seemed hard to do as Drew's goodbye was followed by a hug. Then again, Drew just had a thing for hugging Raposa, which Wilfre couldn't help but chuckle to himself over the idea that Drew probably has hugged the others at least once by now.

With only half the number of Raposa left in the Village and Isaac going off to the shop he used on Turtlerock to make Wilfre's new sword, all the others could do now is wait for the departed to return with news...

* * *

><p>Jowee collapsed onto the lush, green grass. "Are we there yeeeet?" he whined tiredly as Samuel paused and turned around, confused.<p>

"No, we are not," he answered, approaching the younger Raposa. "Far from it, I'm afraid." One of his ears twitched from Jowee's response, which was a groan.

"But we've been walking around in this forest for EVER!" the last word echoed for a moment.

"We have been travelling for only a half hour," Samuel countered, an eyebrow raised, "And just beyond will be Gearworks. Normally we would have to go to Moon Grove first, but visiting the Moon seems redundant..."

"How do you even know how long we've been walking?" Jowee forced himself back on his back paws, but still seemed exhausted, "And can't we take a break or something?"

"A half hour is about the time it takes to venture through Twilite Wood," Samuel answered with a shrug, then shook his head with a sigh, "Gearworks and Star Forest both take this much time as well. I think the past few weeks of inadequate exercise has affected you."

"Inadequate exercise?" Jowee blurted in frustration, "Like you're one to talk! All you did on Turtlerock was trap yourself inside that empty Creation Hall!"

"Ah, but do you know what I do in the Creation Hall, Jowee?" Samuel replied with a soft grin, before turning away to walk further. "You should be glad you don't feel the need to acquire mental and spiritual exercise as well as the physical." Jowee had no choice but to follow, but pouted nonetheless.

"Whatever... So I don't," he grumbled with his arms crossed, "Doesn't change the fact my legs burn like Rapoing crazy and my lungs are on fire..."

"Yet, it's easy for you to speak?" Samuel murmured to himself, before he paused. "If it makes you feel any better, shall I carry you?" Jowee almost scoffed at the remark, imagining a Samuel who could barely lift, let alone carry him. Yet, in these thoughts, his eyes widened as a yelp escaped from his throat as he suddenly felt himself lifted into the air. Looking down, he noticed Samuel had a paw raised, using his Telekinesis to lift him like a feather. Samuel seemed to look into Jowee's eyes for a moment before asking something. "Better?"

When Jowee's only response was a dumbfounded nod, Samuel turned one last time, though keeping the raised arm back behind him as he started walking a third time, soon enough heading out of Twilite Wood's boundary and into Gearworks'. Jowee had never felt so strange in his life, being carried by an invisible force through the forest. Yet, it was also his only chance to rest.

"Savor it while it lasts," Samuel spoke again soon afterward, "I can only do this for so long at a time." It was like he'd just read Jowee's mind, and so Jowee did as he was told.

"O-Okay..." Afterwards, the two were silent as the scenery changed around them; the colors of pink and purple leaves along with blue bark and yellow fallen stars now having a different palette. Instead, green leaves and brown bark, and the stars replaced with gears that jutted out of the ground or a tree. While the changes made Jowee in awe, Samuel just felt relieved that up until now and beyond, the Forests haven't changed for the worse. He only paused once to relish at the sight of Gearworks, before pressing onward, knowing there was no time to waste.

It was no wonder that the animals inhabiting these Forests kept their distance from the two, knowing easily what they were. Even the mecha Baki seemed much more entertained in winding each other up to walk about aimlessly, which Jowee couldn't help but smirk lightly to himself. It could've been because the Creation Hero of the past was an unknown entity to them, and so the other animals felt territorial and protective of their young.

After a while, Samuel paused once again near a tree, setting Jowee back down on the ground, after which beginning to rub his arm a little with a paw. "I hope you're ready to continue. We're nearing Star Forest," was all he said, which Jowee nodded in reply, feeling a bit guilty from getting exhausted so quickly and then causing Samuel discomfort. He didn't say anything about it though, just starting to follow him once more.

They came across several baskets connected to zip lines. The two Raposa settled into the basket, Samuel taking care to pull another basket into the right place for future travelers, before he and Jowee both pushed away from the ledge, letting gravity guide them downwards. Once the basket stopped at a new ledge, they did the same routine a few more times with other baskets until they had passed the last one.

Like Samuel said, not too long later (which would now make it an hour since departure), the two were now greeted with the once again changing area of Star Forest. Well, it didn't change very much, but it was noticeable that they arrived by being greeted with a large, open area full of falling meteors. Then, not far ahead of the meteor shower were places full of stars that flickered in and out. To Jowee's surprise, Samuel avoided all this, going in a different direction entirely.

"Err, are you sure that's the right way?" he couldn't help but ask. Samuel beckoned him to follow as he replied with another small smile on his face.

"Both ways are correct," he stated calmly as Jowee followed once more, "But this way is safer for Raposa to travel."

For the rest of the journey, they were quiet, with Jowee just wordlessly following Samuel through the Star Forest, but he occasionally glanced upward at the flickering stars, falling into his thoughts at one point. His paws rested inside his shirt pockets, letting the thoughts relieve the boredom and possibly exhaustion he could've faced instead. He couldn't help but smile slightly from the thought that his birthday was almost here, about four days in fact. Yet, like when he spoke to Mari about the subject back at the lunar colony of URSF, he wasn't sure if he was ready to be considered adult in age; he still certainly didn't feel like a full-grown Raposa yet.

He also recalled his secret wish that he kept in his thoughts alone, that all he wanted for his birthday was the courage to confess to Mari. He let out a silent sigh to himself, his smile becoming a bit of a frown. He was aware by now that if he continued to cowardly keep his feelings to himself and wait too long to let them be known, he could end up too late to confess in the first place, or that his heart would be returned when finding out Mari had fallen for a different Raposa...

_Who knew that those three little words would be so hard to say,_ Jowee thought to himself, _I've tried at least twice, and both times I was cut off..._

"We're here," Samuel announced suddenly, slowing to a stop, and by now panting a bit to himself. Jowee almost bumped into him before he realized Samuel had stopped, snapping back to reality as quickly as possible. "Are you well, Jowee?" Jowee blinked in response, before shaking his head.

"I'm okay," he responded, but noticed Samuel's own slight exhaustion, "But it looks like you aren't..." He didn't say so in a teasing matter, but in a way that sounded concerned. Samuel made himself straighten up, as if trying to hide what was already seen.

"I can walk another few meters," he said in assurance, "After all, once we're in the clearing, we can rest there as we converse with Deadwood about Sly's possible invasion plans." Jowee simply shrugged with a _hmm_ noise, admitting that he agreed on the statement. One last time the two Raposa padded onward, into the clearing, where in the center was a very tall and wide tree, possibly the largest in the entire Forest. Two holes were a pitch black, along with a cut through shape on the bottom center. Jowee almost couldn't believe just how enormous the tree was, his eyes wide and mouth agape, while Samuel was completely undaunted. Taking care to not let the facial expression of Jowee's get to him, Samuel looked right up at the tree, then addressed it.

"Deadwood, if you please, we must speak with you. It is very important."

* * *

><p>Dr. Cure and Zsasha's visit to Rapo City was about as short as the time they'd spent in the Village earlier. Dr. Cure sighed warily to herself as they left it, Windy Hills just beyond in a fair walking distance.<p>

"Not the nicest bunch of Raposa," she couldn't help but mutter as she shook her head, Zsasha trailing behind without a word. "They thought we were crazy when we tried to warn them... And they had to be so rude about it, even saying 'There is no Creator'. I think one of those little pieces of Baki dung tried to mug me!"

"They're worse than I was," Zsasha replied quietly, though unsure of what to say, so instead added whatever came to mind, "And what strange fur colors they had, too; and that accent... I could hardly understand what they were saying..."

"Their eyes couldn't be natural, either," Dr. Cure agreed, a smirk on her face instead, "I think they dye their fur and hair those odd colors, along with fake, colored contacts. And don't even get me started on those tattoos and piercings! I'm sure glad Mari only had her ears pierced in ONE place!" Zsasha chuckled nervously at that, before clearing his throat, believing now was a good time to talk about what he'd been wanting to for a while now.

"Dr. Cure, may I ask something?" he inquired meekly, only continuing when she'd nodded, noticing the change of tone in his voice. "When all of this is over, when... Everything is normal again, do you think you could... Um..." He hadn't meant to trail off like he did, but it did cause Dr. Cure to pause entirely, turning to face him with a caring expression.

"Yes?" she asked lightly, waiting patiently for his answer.

"Would you..." Zsasha tried once more, but ended up trailing off again, squeezing his masked eyes shut before blurting, "Help me with my condition?" Dr. Cure blinked this time with a small frown.

"Was that why you kept trying to approach me but ran off?" she replied, but still with a light tone of voice, "Zsasha, you don't need to be nervous to ask about something like this. If you believe something is medically wrong, come to me without hesitation. It will greatly shorten the time you suffer to get treatment, and may even cure what ails you." She paused on her lecture when she noticed Zsasha's gaze now on the ground, at his paws. "Of course I'll help you, Zsasha. What seems to be the problem?"

Zsasha raised his head a little from the last words, a little less nervous to spill the beans. "I think my bad habit of stealing things is more than a habit..." he spoke at last, meanwhile Dr. Cure listened intently. "A long time ago, I thought I just wanted to be the best thief in the world, but then after returning everything I would take with guilt, I'm sure that the best thief isn't what I was wanting to be at all. I even believe it's wrong to steal, but no matter what I do, I can't stop doing it...!" He stopped here, unable to go any further as his voice was cracking; it was as if the words were enough to cause unwanted memories to resurface. Dr. Cure continued to listen until he finished, putting a paw on his shoulder.

"From what you tell me," she began with a hopeful smile, "I think I have a good idea of what's going on there. But before I can make any rash decisions, or to even properly diagnose you, we should wait until things are back to normal and everything is all over, like you said. That way, it won't be so stressful. I promise you, Zsasha, I'll help you get better when the time is right." Zsasha seemed to relax when he was told this, his ears drooping slightly.

"Are you sure you promise?" he asked, wanting to prove it more to himself than her.

"I promise," she simply said, her other paw going over her heart for a few moments, before letting go of both her heart and Zsasha's shoulder. "Now, let's continue onto Windy Hills. Hopefully someone beyond here will believe us." Zsasha nodded, beginning to follow her when she started off, his mood less timid and now more ecstatic.

* * *

><p>"Duh nuh nuh nuuuuuh!" Isaac couldn't help but hum out loud as he raised the new weapon high, after setting the template page down onto the counter. Wilfre rose an eyebrow in confusion when he'd heard the sounds, but let it go once he saw the new sword. Isaac set the weapon down beside the template page, nudging it toward Wilfre. "Alright, let's see if this thing will work." Wilfre nodded, taking the sword into his paws. He had to admit, despite Isaac's usually correct calculations and measurements to recreate the original sword, this one felt heavier than the old one, but it wasn't too much so that he couldn't wield it anymore. Soon afterward he let that go as well, thinking that it was to make it a slightly stronger weapon in general.<p>

Isaac followed Wilfre outside the Turtlerock shop, crossing over to the Village, watching as Wilfre searched for a random Shadow Creature to test the sword out on. These days, most had vanished on account of the Raposa being forced to leave due to Sly's visit that now seemed so long ago. As much as the Shadow Creatures had left, it wasn't enough to restore the color to the Village or even to repair it in the slightest. Wilfre briefly thought about the reason why this was as he continued his search, Isaac following close by.

For the case of Watersong, Mayor Rose had to use some kind of song to summon any remaining Creatures to deal with, as well as bring the color back; but this made sense due to Watersong's music being magical enough to provide prosperity to all who lived and visited. With Lavasteam and URSF, however, there was no miraculous magic or will of someone extraordinary that made everything the way it was before Sly's corruption; the citizens, S.P.U.D.s, Robosa (including Coal) and the Mayors all had to work together as a team to manually clean off the Shadow Goo.

However, this mostly meant that Wilfre's sword was put into use of this cleaning, but luckily URSF didn't have very much to clean up because it wasn't even corrupted long enough to make as large of a mess. In fact, it was so little of a mess that even if Wilfre's old sword still worked at this point, it wasn't even needed. Turns out that the plants and other things in the safe place in URSF only needed to be spread around the whole colonized city. It was still unknown as to why that particular place in the city was like Shadow Goo repellent, but perhaps it was likely that it was enchanted or protected by the Creator, much like the Gate doors.

At last, Wilfre came back to reality when he saw a few of the remaining Shadow Creatures. Two Walkers and a Bat, though the Walkers were passing by and the Bat was perched in one of the left over barren trees. Gripping the sword in both paws, Wilfre let out a battle cry as he charged after them, the Walkers being surprised by the ambush and trying to defend themselves. Wilfre sliced the sword right through them both, causing the Bat to awaken and attempt fleeing in fear. Once the two Walkers were no more, Wilfre ran forward more and leaped, slicing through the Bat and killing it quickly.

When Wilfre landed back on the gray grass below his back paws, Isaac had come up to him with a proud expression on his face. "It works perfectly, it seems," he chimed in, while Wilfre nodded in the shared pride, sheathing the sword, feeling it slide inside the sheath like the first one had - so smoothly and easily.

"You've really outdone yourself, Isaac," he chuckled afterward, turning to face him. "Honestly, what would I do without you?" At the somewhat rhetorical question, Isaac couldn't help but smirk a bit.

"Pray to the Creator," he answered simply, then chuckling when Wilfre made a fake gasp of horror.

"I would NEVER!" he said dramatically, though also faked of course. Isaac caught on with ease, raising a paw up into the air, paw pads facing Wilfre. In return, Wilfre brought one of his own paws upward, tapping the pads against Isaac's, after which both paws going back down to their sides. "Well, now that you made me this new sword, I suppose I need to get Drew. He wanted to come along with me to find any clues..." Wilfre said after a few moments longer, before beginning to head away though hoped Isaac would follow. He had to stop when Isaac's paw went onto his shoulder.

"Will you be alright going there, even with him?" Isaac asked, his tone quite concerned and quiet. Wilfre blinked, turning back to face him. "After all, it's one of the biggest sources of regretful memories. No one would hold it against you for not wanting anything to do with that place, or even the Wasteland. You could just tell us the shortcut if you wanted!" He paused with a sigh once he'd said the last thing, while Wilfre began to smile tenderly, looking right into where Isaac's eyes would've been through his thick glasses.

"Isaac," Wilfre replied calmly, "I'm a big boy now, and you and I both know that. I can guarantee that no matter what, I'll be able to handle these kinds of situations. It's the bane of my existence yes, but at some point in my life, I need to overcome everything of my past, so that I can move on into now and the future. I know you're concerned that it'll hurt, maybe even depress and guilt me from seeing and remembering things I would've rather not to, but I must ask that you believe in me, Isaac. One of my worst memories was losing you to my own immaturity, and I was able to overcome it in the long run and make things right, so who's to say I won't be able to with what remains? I will be fine, especially since what you say is true; I'm not going alone and thus, it won't hit me as hard. You trust me, don't you?"

Isaac was silent for a long time, letting the words sink in. He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but luckily Wilfre wouldn't have been able to see them unless they streamed down his face. Yet, he did all he could to force them back, just in case they attempted being shown. He took a deep breath, both his paws on Wilfre's shoulders before he began to reply at last. "Of course I trust you," he almost mumbled, not wanting his voice to be loud enough to signal that his voice was cracking, "You're right, Wilfre. You're all grown up now, so you don't need me fretting over you so much... You've matured so well, learned so many things, overcome hurdle after hurdle, made up for past mistakes and pressed forward to fix everything for the Raposa of the world..." Isaac trailed off for a few moments, letting Wilfre take in his words before continuing on. "And finally, when the time comes to face Sly once and for all, I know you'll have the courage to take that final step, even if there's a chance that the twisted motherrapoer could try to take you down with him. Wilfre, I bet your father would be so proud of you, just as I am more than ever before to be your best friend."

Now it was Wilfre's turn to gain the smallest tears in his eyes, except his was much more noticeable, and he looked away in hopes of trying to hide them better until he could force them back. "S... Stop, Isaac," he tried to cover, "Don't get mushy on me, you know how I get when you do that...!" Isaac merely chuckled, bringing Wilfre into a light hug.

"I just care, you know?" he whispered this time, only to hear Wilfre whine a bit in response. "Best friends, or any friend for that matter, are supposed to care..." After another few moments, Wilfre couldn't help but abide to the embrace, wrapping his arms around Isaac in return.

"... What WOULD I do without you?" he whispered back as he shut his eyes slowly.


	36. 36 Four Years Ago

December 21, 2012, the fabled doomsday. I figured before everyone dies or laughs because nothing happened, I would provide a chapter for this special day.

Depending on when I can get future chapters finished, there may only be another new chapter for Christmas, unlike last year when there was for both Christmas and New Years. Sorry about that.

Thanks for sticking by and being troopers if you're reading this on the 21st of December of 2012. Thanks for reviewing, favoriting, following and such support. Hope to see you guys on Christmas!

* * *

><p>36. Four Years Ago<p>

Drew followed Wilfre up a long ladder, watching as afterward Wilfre opened up a hatch from the top, climbing out and waiting for him to follow. Once Drew got himself out of the hatch and Wilfre closed it, he was met with some kind of cave entrance, only it had a scary face to go with it. All around the opening were long, tentacle-like structures that formed empty, dead trees, colored a deep purple alike the uneven and bumpy ground. From just feeling it on his back paws, Drew could tell it was far from fertile soil - that is, if it was soil at all.

Wilfre padded up and next to Drew, noticing his intent stare at the barren area. As Wilfre looked upon it, he could see why Raposa would find such a place to be terrifying and creepy, and he had to admit that he wasn't quite sure what he was thinking when he thought it looked like home.

_If I think this is bad,_ he thought to himself before taking a deep breath to keep his nerves calm, _Then just imagine how I'll see the Wasteland..._

"Come along, Drew," he voiced out after a few moments longer, starting to head inside. "There isn't time to waste. The sooner we find clues or even a location, the sooner we can leave this sickening place." Drew woke into reality, following Wilfre without any further hesitation.

"Sorry, I..." he replied as they entered the cave, unable to help watching the empty eye sockets of the face, "For some reason, this place gets to me. Like... Something honestly disturbs me about it."

Wilfre didn't answer, only nodding as they passed through the lengthy tunnel of the cave. To try to ease tension, Drew changed the subject.

"Um..." he began, though a bit shyly, "You know, I've been thinking about things. I know I seem and act pretty chipper and naive, but... I've decided that I don't mind if I don't get my memories back. It would be a perk, but I don't need them to carry on with life. Meeting you guys has made it not so bad... Plus, after everything, I want to be able to stay in the Village. I feel like I belong here, and that makes me happy."

"That's nice to hear," Wilfre finally said in reply, though absent-mindly. He realized that Drew was trying to soften the memory blow by distracting him with conversation, so he respected him for that. "Though, I really hope you do remember your past; you have the right to remember because it's your life we're dealing with. And, I think you would be missed greatly if you left for Lavasteam when... Everything is over." Those last words were said with reluctance, as if there was a downside to that.

"Wilfre, is something the matter?" Drew asked in concern, his ears drooping from Wilfre's previous tone. As much as Wilfre wished to keep it to himself, he paused at the end of the tunnel, where there was a sudden drop into a large room, with parts of the walls broken or crumbled off that revealed a vivid purple haze. Wilfre remembered this place very well, jumping down into the room as he thought about how to word his question.

"Drew..." he said at first, mustering the courage to continue after a few moments, "How would everyone remember me if I died after Sly is destroyed?" Drew's eyes opened wide from the question, not sure how to answer him. Meanwhile, Wilfre began to get lost in his thoughts, looking upward and around the room, envisioning the past and almost seeing it with his own eyes...

_"So you made it this far...?" Wilfre cackled as the Creation Hero jumped down into the room and hopping away from the rubble piece in the floor, "My little scorpion friend will take care of you!" As the scorpion appeared in the room, Wilfre floated upwards to enjoy the show, waiting to see how long it took for the Hero to be torn to wooden pieces. It shouldn't take long, and soon the threat would pass. The Hero didn't say a word to him or the scorpion, even seeming to have an angry look in his eyes. Wilfre had to admit, he'd never seen this look on the Creation Hero before, and deep down it scared him, knowing that it wasn't usual for the Creation Hero to be angry about anything. Yet, he didn't let his true feelings show for obvious reasons._

"What? I..." Drew tried to answer, but was still stunned from it all, "What're you saying, Wilfre? Do you believe the others still think you're a bad person or something...?"

_To his horror, Wilfre watched as his scorpion was the one who 'tore to pieces'. Also curious was that the Creation Hero didn't hesitate to use violence; which again, usually was a last resort strategy and was only used when there was absolutely no other way to solve a situation, at least as far as Wilfre could recall. The Creation Hero looked up at Wilfre in complete scorn, not seeming to regret doing what he'd just done. He didn't seem to have nary a scratch on his figure, nor his clothes for that matter. Wilfre stiffened up from it all, not sure if he could comprehend the difference in demeanor, but he hid it when he spoke up once more, readying himself to attack the Hero and finish this once and for all._

_"Ug!?" he pretended to fume, "This has gone on long enough! I'll destroy you myself!"_

"Wilfre..." Drew called again, unaware that Wilfre's mind had drifted off long ago, "I'm pretty sure no one thinks you're bad. I wouldn't know what you did in detail, but it seems to me that you've become good, haven't you? I mean, it's not like you'll go back on your word about defeating Sly and join him..."

_No matter how many stars and tridents he threw upon the Hero, they were all missed, while the Hero would jump upwards and slash at him at every direction he flew to. In fact, through it all the Hero didn't seem to lose his angered expression, going in for the attack every chance he got and without mercy. Dear Creator did it scare him to see the Hero like this; when anytime before he was always so happy, so goofy, so mild mannered and... Nice, even towards him. But now, all that seemed to remain for Wilfre was pure hatred._

_To be honest, he'd always been afraid to have to confront the Hero himself, thus relying on bigger, stronger creatures to do his bidding. It was also due to Wilfre not truly knowing how to win in a fight of any sort, while the Hero had aquired at least a year's worth of practice, so it was proving to be a disaster. If things kept on like this, he knew he wasn't just going to be defeated._

_He was going to _die_._

_"Ooooh!" he yelled out once more, even though he was already in enough pain to support an entire lifetime. But there was no way he was going to show weakness to the enemy, even if the enemy terrified him. "Now prepare to die!"_

"Wait, you're asking this because this place is disturbing you too," Drew began to reason, slowly approaching Wilfre by a few steps, "Or maybe because you're afraid to die from possibly losing to Sly, or that he would kill you along with himself? Is that it? ... Wilfre, are you feeling okay? You're looking a bit pale..."

_"Ow ow ow!" he hollered in agony as well as confusion, though both were a mere act. "What?! No! This cannot be!"_

_Wilfre had the suspicion that those words before was more for warning himself than an idle threat to the Creation Hero, as if knowing that he wasn't going to win, or even come close to it. That last hack to his torso was all he could take before he promptly crashed to the ground, on his stomach. Throughout the one-sided battle, Wilfre had come to terms with the truth behind this battle and why it came to be fated to end this way._

_The whole time Wilfre had known the Creation Hero, he always treated him like dirt, even though the Hero would always shrug it off and continue being the one person who saw Wilfre for who he was underneath the Shadow Goo - a Raposa. Perhaps it was because the Mayor had explained that he used to be one and technically still is, so the Hero believed that he also needed saving from the Shadow Goo. He wanted to help him and continued to try, but Wilfre would always push him away and claim he didn't need saved..._

_Many times Wilfre would insult, judge, or otherwise hurt the Creation Hero, but that never bothered him for too long. This time, though... Accidentally killing the Mayor made the Creation Hero snap into this unstoppable rage and violence, and now Wilfre understood the punishment. He wanted to say something as he felt the Shadow Goo melt right off of his Raposa body. Despite all his pain, he managed to get onto his back paws. A look of shock overcame the Creation Hero, and then as Wilfre realized he was disappearing, he could swear he saw despair replace the shocked expression. Before he could get any words out, he was gone, just like that._

Wilfre collapsed to his knees, suddenly letting out a loud wail. Quickly, Drew came over to and sat in front of him, afterwards putting his paws on Wilfre's shoulders in an effort to calm him down. No matter what Drew tried to do, Wilfre would only scream out "I'M SORRY!" repeatedly; so instead, he brought Wilfre into an embrace, waiting it out. Drew shhed him gently as time passed, even rocking Wilfre slightly to help him calm down.

"It's okay, it's okay," he kept saying as well, hoping Wilfre would hear him. "It's okay, Wilfre. Everything's fine..." Eventually Wilfre's wails had died down, even though tears continued streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered out this time, shuttering in his breathing, "I'm so sorry..." Drew continued to hold him closely, stroking his back a little as well now.

"Just try to relax," Drew said quietly, "It's all in the past now; we know you regret it, and that's normal, isn't it?"

"...Y-Yes," Wilfre replied, taking a deep breath and starting to wipe away his tears, "I... I suppose... It's normal to be sorry..."

"That's good, Wilfre," Drew smiled a bit, but kept him close nonetheless, "So, I believe we would remember you as someone who gave their life in fixing their worst mistakes, because you knew it was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't the easy way. I would call you a hero, in fact! But I think you mostly asked this because of where we are... I can't blame you, though. If my memories have anything to do with this, I'm sure I would be crying too." Wilfre wiped off his remaining tears, letting out a sniffle before doing his best to calm down fully.

"Are you sure, Drew...?" Wilfre asked to be sure, "I would understand if all I'm remembered for is the monster I once was..." Drew pulled away enough to look into Wilfre's eyes.

"I'm sure of it, Wilfre," he replied with confidence "Now, if you ever get this silly idea in your head again, just remember all the Raposa who respect you now because of what you did for them, as well as us. I don't want you doubting yourself ever again. Promise me that you won't." Wilfre thought about it for a while, before he put a paw over his heart.

"I swear on my grave I won't doubt myself again," he promised, while Drew grinned wider and helped him to his back paws.

"Alright!" he cheered, and to his amazement, he saw Wilfre grin a little himself, although still a bit sadly. "Okay, so what would qualify as a clue?"

Wilfre frowned but this time in thought, putting his paw onto his chin. It was a good question, as there probably wasn't going to be any obvious hints as to what a clue would be. At last, however, he got an idea.

"Perhaps my old journal?" he chipped in, "Maybe he took advice from it to find a new place to rule in. After all, I did list a few locations to use to rebuild should my old plans fail..." Drew immediately ran off through the room, and into another that probably qualified as a living arrangement. "Drew, where do you think you're going?"

"To find your journal, silly!" Drew answered as Wilfre followed him inside.

"I don't mean to ruin your enthusiasm," Wilfre couldn't help but say, "But how will you know where it is if you don't know what it looks like?" Drew began to rummage through things in the room, to which Wilfre spoke once more, "Try not to make a mess, Drew! I used to live here, you know!"

"If it was your journal, wouldn't it have your name on it?" Drew asked at first, before he couldn't help but giggle from the mess he was apparently making, "Err... Sorry. But if it's any consolation, you're not going to come back to this awful place, right?"

"... True," Wilfre sighed in defeat, before noticing the earlier question. "How do you KNOW that!?"

"Lucky guess?" Drew paused in his search, embarrassment clouding his face, "Another time where I don't know how I guess these things..." Meanwhile, Wilfre merely shrugged, heading off to a different spot in the room, opening a door.

"If it's my journal we need to find," he spoke once more, rummaging through what appeared to be a closet, "We'll have to look in the Wasteland. I would've moved it there." Drew stopped his search, coming over to Wilfre instead with a nod.

"There's no way you're going there alone..." Drew said this as Wilfre pulled out something that resembled a sheet of paper with a map on it.

"I know, Drew, I know," he replied, before holding out a paw for him. "Grab my paw; this paper will take us there, and back when we're done looking." Drew did so immediately without question, and soon enough, they disappeared from the old Shadow Lair.

* * *

><p>There wasn't much for Mari and Isaac to do since everyone else were on their merry way, warning any and all people who lived beyond the Gate doors about Sly's possible plans to invade them. Isaac retreated back to the Turtlerock shop to further investigate the ancient journals that Drew gave to him a little while ago, while Mari awaited for any of the sent off villagers to return, safe and sound. For a moment, she began to believe that perhaps the missing villagers were simply locked in cages like a few years back. Though, at the same time it felt repetitive, too familiar and easy, and she was sure Sly wouldn't do anything the same.<p>

When she thought she saw a Shadow Creature, she armed herself with a throwing knife, then another. However, the Shadow Creature seemed nonexistent as it simply disappeared from sight. Mari had a look of confusion for a moment, then decided that she needed to clear her mind, entering the Village Hall to take a relaxing shower. After she finished (which didn't take long), she wrapped her body into a cozy towel, making her way to her bedroom and her closet. While looking through her various outfits, she noticed the gray dress she used to have to wear every Sunday evening, when the Church of Shadow existed.

She pulled it out for a moment, inspecting the dress itself. If the influence behind the memory wasn't so absolutely terrible, she would've found the dress nostalgic. Though, it did seem so long ago since the last day she ever had to wear such a hideous thing.

The day Wilfre awoke from his sleeping curse.

How long ago was that again?

_Let's see,_ Mari began to count after putting the dress back into the closet, _The day after he awoke, the Church of Shadow was destroyed and Samuel was saved, only to leave the Village when Sly showed up later that day... It took us a week to get to Watersong, so eight days. We stayed for a day, and took us a week and three days to get to Lavasteam, so that would make nineteen. We stayed for another day, then took two weeks and an extra day to reach URSF, so that's thirty-five. A day and another to get back to Turtlerock, and about three weeks to get back here, so... Sixty-eight days? That's all, really? It feels so much longer..._

By this time, she'd chosen an outfit she liked, putting it on and now redressed. A red t-shirt with a yellow feminine tie, similar to the pink tie from her yellow dress; and a pink, knee-length skirt. It wasn't often that she wore this nowadays, and she was surprised she still fit in it, even though the skirt used to reach down the middle of her calves. She recalled that the last time she wore this was just before the day she prayed to the Creator to help restore the Village.

_That was about four years ago, now,_ Mari recalled, looking at herself in the full-size mirror she had, _That feels even longer ago than recently. I can't believe I was that immature back then... Well, Jowee was too; we both were._

"I can tell you're not the only one who's noticed the change," a voice interrupted her thoughts. Looking through the mirror, her eyes widened while a gasp came out of her throat, noticing the newcomer right away.

"I-If you're going to try to get me to join you, then you're wrong," she stated as firmly as she could, turning away from the mirror. "You're not going to be able to fool me again." The newcomer snickered from the words, his gears of thought churning silently in his mind.

"This is true; you're much smarter than you used to be, Mayor Mari," he replied, never failing to taint Wilfre's voice as he continued coolly. "But it's a shame that I, once again, will prove to be more intelligent. Believe me when I say this; there will be no fooling. No lies. Only a decision; one I know you'll make in my favor. In fact, it would be absolutely unlike you to refuse."

"Get to the point, Sly," Mari ordered bitterly, "Then get out of my village." Sly tsked a few times, before doing as was asked and pulling out the one and only...

"I'm sure you've been wanting THIS old thing back, hm?" he began as he held the large book in his shadowed paws, "To keep it safe from terrible people like me and anyone who is bold enough to vandalize its contents. The heart of the Creator Herself; the sacred and delicate artifact entrusted by the Raposa to be protected with their lives. Or well, the current Village Mayor Raposa, to be technical..."

"You didn't..." Mari's eyes widened, trailing off before she could finish her accusation. Sly snorted to himself with what appeared to be an eye-roll.

"What? No," he replied, "I didn't do a single thing with it. All the pages are inside, safe and sound. All this time, I haven't harmed it in any way; but the fear from your face suggests that the lack of this book alone made the empty threat succeed..." He paused with a giddy laugh. "Remember all those days without it, and yet the eight of you managed to take away my empire, one city at a time? Did you ever really need this Book of Junk?"

Mari couldn't speak a word throughout the explanation She did feel comforted in the fact that the Book did appear unharmed, but being fooled like this angered her deeply. "But we'll always need it," she finally said in response, "Only the Creator can use it correctly. And if the Book of Life is destroyed, so is She and everything else..."

"Very good," Sly back-pawedly complimented smugly, "So, basically, my idea is simple. I have no use for this Book, and frankly never did. In favor of letting you foolish Raposa have it back, even though you never really needed it thus far, all I ask is for you to change your side-"

"No!" Mari interrupted immediately, "You're not going to fool me again! I said that earlier, didn't I?"

"Whoa, whoa," Sly waved a paw at her to relent, "And I clearly stated that there is no fooling, and no lies. Also, you didn't even let me finish. If you don't accept my offer, I'll have no choice but to destroy everyone and everything in this universe. The Raposa, the Baki, the Creator, you, Wilfre and even I will all die instantly. Seems foolish to destroy even myself in the process, but it's worth it knowing that I'll still be able to grant that one wish Wilfre made..." When Mari was too stunned to answer, he added some more words. "A world without a Creator. Well, there won't be a world anymore, but there won't be a world WITH a Creator, either!"

"Y-You... No, you wouldn't go that far..." Mari tried to reason, making herself feel stubborn as she processed the words, "You're not that desperate...! Wouldn't you want to live through that?"

"Preferably yes," Sly shrugged, "But I'm also willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. The whole point of my existence is to see to that wish being granted. The best part? No one would feel a thing... But of course, if you're reconsidering delaying the inevitable, that's perfectly fine with me. You can either make a future where everyone dies, or you can make a future where everyone survives, but suffers until I win the slower way. The million Rapo Token question is, which do you prefer? I assure you that no answer is wrong."

Mari thought about it for a long time, all the words sinking into her mind, and debating every possible outcome. She knew that if she refused, Sly would do the unthinkable, and she was certain that he wasn't bluffing. "If I join you, what happens to the Book of Life?" she finally asked.

"Like I said, it returns to the possession of the Raposa," he replied smoothly, "But mostly it will be yours to do whatever you wish with it; good or bad, I don't care. I will give it to you after turning you into a Shadow Raposa, no ifs, ands or buts." Mari nodded in listening to the words, before she had to ask something else.

"I heard that when Click was corrupted, he used the Book of Life to alter his tower," she started, "So how do I know you're not lying about you not doing a 'single thing' with the Book?"

"... Right again," Sly clapped a bit in a legitimately impressed way, "I'll admit, that was the only thing I used this Book for; because he himself requested such a thing and couldn't do so with his own power. But I promise that was the one and ONLY thing."

_If I did this, no one would have to die because of that kamakazi,_ Mari thought to herself while continuing to think, _But if anyone came around and saw what became of me... Would they think I was a traitor? Dear Creator, I hope they understand what's really going on... If anyone returns to the Village, please let it be Wilfre. Only he will understand._

"I accept," she stated flatly. Sly grinned wickedly, his glowing, twin pools of light now accompanied by an also glowing mouth, before he stepped forward, getting out a large ball of Shadow Goo from his paw.

"Good girl," he cooed quietly, pressing the ball against her forehead before she could react, "Now keep still. It'll be a lot faster if you don't struggle!" A sudden look of fright overcame Mari, a single tear running down her cheek before the Shadow Goo covered her eyes, preventing any more.

_What have I done...?_


	37. 37 Now I Remember

I highly doubt at the point that anyone will be surprised by Drew's big reveal, haha. Though, like I said a long while ago, that was intentional I wanted the readers to be able to figure it out, meanwhile the characters don't very easily. If they'd known from the beginning, there would've been a much easier chance that Sly would've won the bet made.

Not only this, but it would show just how much the person in question was really noticed and missed. Sadly not so much; not in the way you would miss someone you care for; just missing what the person was known for.

Also I apologize if there was a key event missing; I tried to get as many as I could, especially from the Wii version of The Next Chapter. Let me know if I missed something. Also also, the way Drew finds out isn't to be taken seriously, or to provide a path.

I'm done typing now; enjoy the big reveal and the other events!

* * *

><p>37. Now I Remember<p>

Jowee and Samuel had finally made it back to their original starting point, after which resting for a good half hour before starting on their way through Jangala's thick, expansive jungles. Not many words were spoken while the two traversed through, this time with Jowee leading the way. The change of environment felt foreign to Samuel, as he was not at all used to much more vibrant wildlife and plantlife alike. Most of all, it was a lot noisier.

"I would dislike needing to meditate here," he couldn't help but say to ease the noise from his mind, "And I hope to not be included should there be another visit to His Majesty." Jowee smiled a little, but didn't stop as he led onwards.

"Yeah, I know," he replied, pausing near a gorge and pulling a vine over to himself, "It does get noisy here. It's been so long... In fact, I don't remember why seeing the Monkey King was so important back then..." He shrugged afterward, swinging on the vine to the other side, then throwing the vine out to Samuel to cross.

"As I recall, it had something to do with a tribal mask," Samuel said after a moment of thought, catching the vine and holding it firmly in his paws, "I agree that I'm unsure how it was important. Was it magical or sacred? Or vulnerable to falling into the wrong paws?"

"Maybe..." Jowee sighed with drooping ears, "But that's alright; all we need to remember is the peace offering. ...Uh, what was it...?" As Jowee thought about it, Samuel managed to cross the gap, gaining an unimpressed expression on his face.

"You mean to tell me you forgot the peace offering's ingredients?" He said in a slightly raised voice. Jowee jumped in surprise of Samuel's sudden appearance, then shook his head in an indignant manner.

"Of course I didn't forget!" he responded while Samuel continued to seem annoyed. "It was, um... No, hold on, it's on the tip of my tongue, I swear..." Jowee turned away and started leading again so Samuel wouldn't see how stressed he was becoming from suddenly not remembering such a crucial thing, feeling like an utter idiot. _I knew what they were earlier and all this time until now! Why would I suddenly forget?_

"I hope you remember soon, Jowee," Samuel spoke again as he followed, but now reluctantly. "I believe we're almost to the Treetop Village, as you've called it."

"They're all yellow!" Jowee blurted in his frustration, "That's all I remember! They're all YELLOW FRUITS!" Samuel became silent from the outburst, just letting Jowee think for a while. Then finally, Jowee snapped his paw with a wide grin. "I remember...! It was a lemon, pineapple and banana! And the pineapple is in the middle, and the lemon is to the right of it... Then the banana is on the left side!"

Samuel thought it over for a minute before he inquired, "But aren't pineapples orange?"

"... Close enough!" Jowee rebutted, running off into the distance while Samuel ran to keep up. "Finding them won't be so hard, either... At this rate, we'll be going back to the Village in no time! And maybe Mari will let us go to the Snow Gate, or to Rapo Islands!"

"I vote for the Snow Gate," Samuel immediately said in response, "I am simply not suited for such warm weather." Jowee pouted a bit, finding a stash of fruits in a small canopy, surprisingly unguarded.

"Well, Winter's practically here," he shrugged as he went to pick up the needed fruits, "The inside of the Snow Gate will probably be frozen over right now, while Rapo Islands will have cooled down enough to not be boiling hot. Personally, we could use some mild weather while we can still get some, you know?"

"I suppose..." Samuel murmured in defeat, knowing this as much as Jowee. He picked up the third fruit needed; the banana. "Oh, Jowee. Before I forget to ask, is there anything you want for your birthday? I hear it's really soon."

"Um..." Jowee thought to himself out loud while they headed out of the stash of fruits, "What would a soon-to-be eighteen year old boy want?"

* * *

><p>From on top of the highest of Windy Hills, Dr. Cure and Zsasha neared the first of the floating islands of the Eastern Winds, though Zsasha was now trying to come up with any excuse to not go there, for whatever reason. It confused Dr. Cure that Zsasha apparently had something against going.<p>

"I don't think anyone would live in the Land of the Eastern Winds," Zsasha was saying just as they got to the first bridge leading onward. "The winds would throw them off the islands, the air begins to thin... Too dangerous for Raposa, right?"

"Well, if Raposa couldn't live in the Eastern Winds, why are there bridges built for them?" Dr. Cure asked as she started crossing, Zsasha staying put however. "In fact, I think there's a village somewhere in the desert-"

"That's just a myth!" Zsasha cried out, cutting her off. "There's no desert village... Why would Raposa live somewhere that warm and barren?"

"If Raposa can survive on the Moon," Dr. Cure reasoned, continuing across the wooden bridge, "I'm sure they'll make do in a desert. Why would you think that it's a myth, Zsasha? In fact, why are you so against going? I would just let you go back on your own, but Mari wanted us to be in pairs for safety reasons." She went back on the bridge, taking a paw and holding onto one of Zsasha's, pulling him onto the bridge and making him follow.

"S-Sly wouldn't try invading an empty desert, would he?" Zsasha muttered in a last-ditch effort to make her turn back.

"Sly will try anything to regain power," Dr. Cure sighed to herself, "He'll look anywhere to do it, especially since he's realized we threaten his slowly dying empire. It wouldn't hurt to check every place we can and make sure anyone is warned. This way, they can prepare for any possible attack and hopefully not get taken over... It's very important, Zsasha. We won't be there long." Zsasha frowned deeply to himself, still not wanting anything to do with this venture, but there wasn't any other way to stop Dr. Cure from proceeding.

Why did she have to be so stubborn?

"... If I tell you the real reason, you won't think I'm a bad Raposa, will you?" he spoke once again, feeling a strange bit of deja vu. Dr. Cure stopped this time, turned to face him, and looked into his eyes.

"I won't, Zsasha," she replied softly, "I promise."

"Okay," Zsasha gulped before he started to explain. "There is a village in the desert; I was born there. But the village there wasn't very prosperous, and my family was one of the poorest. Even worse, my family is pretty large as opposed to the average in your village. Altogether, there were seven of us; Mom and Dad, with four boys and a girl... So, to help keep my family afloat, I started stealing food to make sure everyone was well-fed. Mom and Dad found out I was stealing and told me to stop, but I didn't and eventually, it got out of control..."

"I started stealing more than food," he continued as Dr. Cure listened, "I stole money, items and possessions, at first because my siblings and friends wanted them, but then it was only for myself. I became really greedy and thought that becoming the best thief in the world was my destiny, but when the authorities caught on to me, I left the village without a trace left behind. But not even then did I learn better; the moment I came into your village with Lily, I continued to steal, but now only for her..."

"That was when you started giving everything back, right?" Dr. Cure asked calmly, afterwhich Zsasha nodded.

"Yeah, it didn't take me long to start feeling unsure with myself..." he trailed off for a few moments, "And now, I'm sure I want to stop, but only with your help. Bottom line, I feel like the moment I enter that place, they'll throw me in jail or something worse..."

"For four years, you've been running from your troubles," Dr. Cure added, holding onto Zsasha's paw more firmly. "One day you'll need to face them head-on. After all, if you're sorry, you must own up to it. You know what?" she paused with a small smile, "Why not let it be today? I'll even vouch for you, so long as you tell the truth about why it started and how it progressed. If you must be punished, I'll stay as long as it takes." It was then Zsasha's eyes welled with tears, suddenly embracing her.

"You're just like M-Mom..." He stuttered as he struggled to not cry, "So nice and forgiving..." Dr. Cure merely giggled and held him in return, letting the two of them take this moment.

"Maybe one day I'll be one..." she murmured, unfortunately though loud enough for Zsasha to hear, "Err, I mean... Maybe one day you'll be cured..." After a few more moments, the two pulled away, Zsasha reaching to the back of his head to untie his mask from his face. Dr. Cure blinked from Zsasha revealing himself in such a manner, finding honesty in his steel teal eyes. Zsasha stared at the mask for a long time, wondering if he really wanted to go through with what he was wanting to do.

Dr. Cure opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when Zsasha suddenly gripped the mask firmly, then throwing it out into the open, the wind carrying it away to who-knew-where. Zsasha used all his willpower to not run off and get it back. He shut his eyes, not wanting to watch the mask fly away, and took a deep breath, holding the air in his lungs. In his head, he replayed his inner monologue from long past.

_Because I, Zsasha, strive to be a master thief; filled with a desire to steal and a need for collecting valuables!_

While the words were heard in his mind, he envisioned the voice coming from the mask, finally letting out his breath. He was certain he heard the voice fade further and further away until it was heard no more. Once he was sure it was silent, he reopened his eyes while Dr. Cure continued to stand by in awe.

"I... I think..." He began softly, then raising his voice to be heard better, "I think I'm okay now."

"Saying goodbye, I suppose?" Dr. Cure replied in compassion.

"Well..." Zsasha thought about it for a bit, before turning to face her. "In a way, yeah. Samuel told me to pretend my problems and stress was just like air. I didn't understand what he meant at first... But now I get it. You bring it all together, understand what needs to be done, then let go of it. He even said it was 'as easy as breathing', and now I see how it makes sense..."

"Letting go... That's good, Zsasha," Dr. Cure agreed with a smile, holding onto Zasaha's paw once again, crossing the bridge with him now, "Samuel sure knows what he's doing, doesn't he?"

Zsasha laughed a bit. "Yes, he does!"

"And you're ready to face the desert villagers now?"

"..." Zsasha didn't answer right away, before he nodded. "I am."

* * *

><p>The moment Wilfre and Drew touched ground at their new location, Drew lost his balance and fell over, not used to teleporting in this sort of manner. Wilfre's ears perked from watching this, almost pulled down with him but managed to stay upright. Immediately afterward he pulled on Drew's paw, lifting him back to his back paws. "You alright, Drew?" he asked as he folded up the paper and put it into one of his pockets for safe keeping.<p>

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay..." Drew dazedly answered, before once again looking around the surroundings. "Whoa... Um, Wilfre, you have an... Interesting taste in landscaping..." Wilfre chose not to look, only focusing on the mansion directly nearby.

"We should get going..." he said hastily as he headed toward the front doors. "I don't feel like staying long." Drew noticed him walk away, catching up to Wilfre with a nod. However, he chose to not say anything more than he had.

As the two wandered inside and trekked down halls and through doors, Wilfre forced himself to only focus on finding his journal. He absolutely hated this place with all his might and wishing to just leave right then and there, but couldn't at the moment. Drew noticed that some of the walls were cracked, pure liquid color leaking out with a warm glow. After a while of going through the supposed maze, a door led them outside, into a large courtyard. It didn't faze Wilfre, but Drew became stunned all over again, the dark choice of sinister colors and scenery making him a bit jumpy and nervous.

Crossing through another door, Drew began to notice unusual patterns. The windows were stained glass; and each represented the Raposas' monotheistic society and mannerisms. One would depict the Creator Herself drawing water for fish, another where the Raposa were rejoicing over the Book of Life... Then finally, one would show Shadow Raposa for some odd reason. To make matters even more strange, some of the windows were shattered, but others unharmed.

All around the rooms were furniture, but most were broken, beaten, or looked like they'd been tossed around in a fit of rage. Stained glass shards cluttered near the windows they broke from, and one last thing really put Drew off entirely.

Throughout the rooms and halls, there were dozens of statues, but they were all of one person. Some of them were missing their heads but others not. Those that weren't revealed that the statued person wasn't a Raposa at all. Something about the creature seemed really familiar to Drew, so with a moment of hesitation, he opened his mouth to ask something.

"Wilfre, who is this?" Wilfre made himself stop, turning to face the statue Drew was pondering over.

"That's- That was..." he tried to answer, but cutting himself off many times, "That was the Hero... Thinking about him now, I'm glad he thwarted my plans in the past. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be who I am now." Drew took the information in, smiling with a nod. Wilfre studied the statue for a bit longer, recognizing a small pattern of his own. "In fact... You remind me of him in a way. Your hair looks very similar to his, and the same color. Maybe you took advantage of your fur color and styled it that way; perhaps you looked up to him, Drew." The two moved on afterwards when Wilfre motioned for Drew to follow, but Drew continued to think about it.

_A fan, huh?_ he thought to himself as they walked past the statue, _It would explain the way my hair looks, but it feels natural. Something else, then...?_

From this point on, the walls had more cracks, with more pure liquid color leaking out of each one. However, the walls seemed more like natural ground than the original bricks from before. Wilfre seemed to keep hurrying along, his walk almost a jog at this point, but Drew couldn't say he blamed him. Eventually however, the two seemed to separate by several feet, though this was mostly due to Drew beginning to lag behind like he often did. As scary as the place was, he couldn't help but be innocently curious about everything.

So much of everything, in fact, he soon came across one of the many walls, but this one was different; it seemed to call out to him to come closer. Instead of trying to follow Wilfre, he went over to the wall, nearly in front of it. He lifted a paw to put it against the wall, only to find his paw going right through it. His eyes widened as he immediately pulled his paw back, a sensation so strange coming over him. The wall felt nonexistent, fake, as if it was hiding a secret.

A secret...?

With that, he took a deep breath, running through the wall, finding himself inside the wall, but still somehow able to move. Not knowing where to go, he just ran forward, wondering where he would end up next. After a few moments of this mindless running, he was suddenly out of the wall, and instead confronted with an eerie cliff, followed by a staircase of platforms that seemed to stretch upwards, but Drew had no idea how far they would go. Like the wall before, the platforms seemed to call out to him, nudging him forward. With a bit of a nervous sigh, he did as was told, hopping up each platform, oddly enough with ease.

Minutes passed before he was finally on the last platform, more ground greeting him. Now on the ground, he panted a little, not used to hopping up so many platforms at one time. Yet, he continued on, walking along the ground until he saw a glowing white light not too far ahead. Once he reached it, what he saw next made his eyes water from the sheer amazement.

In front of him was the most delicate, yet beautiful flower he'd ever seen in his life. Its main petals glowed a pure white, while more petals floated just below the bud, colored white but just slightly gold. The flower itself seemed to resemble a tulip that just barely begun to bloom, and stood at a staggering height, much more than Drew's own. Drew sat on his knees, looking upon the flower further. _But why a glowing flower?_ he thought to himself, _Why was I led here?_

_Do you have a wish, Drew?_ His ears perked in surprise when he heard this in his head, knowing it wasn't his voice. _I am the Secret Flower. Perhaps it is fate that you alone have found me?_

"Uhm, maybe..." Drew answered awkwardly, not sure what to really say to what appeared to be a telepathic flower. "I did have a wish, but I... I'm okay if it doesn't come true." There was silence for several moments, as if the flower was processing his words.

_I think I understand,_ it spoke after a bit longer, _You yearn to know who you really are; your memories prior to recently are blocked, nor can you remember anything you dream. Such a shame, because I've heard of you. Rather, your past._

"My past?" Drew replied in a louder tone, "So it's not just Sly who knows who I really was, and he even tried to kill me before... Were my past actions that bad?"

_Not at all,_ was the response, _Sly may be a dangerous Shadow Being, but you are his main weakness. However, I was told that there was a bet going on..._

"The bet..." Drew sighed sadly this time, "If my memories are what Sly was angry about, then Wilfre will have to submit to him. If my memories are that important, maybe it's best not to have them, for his sake."

_That is where you are wrong, Drew,_ the flower said once more in reply, _Your memories are key in defeating Sly. You'll just need to find a very indirect way of letting Wilfre know who you are. Realize, I'm your only chance for you to learn your past. Would you really walk out on it?_

"I..." Drew tried to answer, "I don't know...! What if I can't tell Wilfre? What if I don't like who I really am? What if Sly wins...?"

_Don't worry about it. I know you'll find a way. Close your eyes, Drew._

Despite being unsure if he should or not, he closed his eyes like he was told, waiting for something to happen. He overheard the flower shift position slightly, followed by a sudden flood of memories breaking through the blocking dam of his mind.

A lot of commotion from outside the Village Creation Hall, while he was unable to speak or move; he overheard Wilfre telling everyone to board Turtlerock while Sly was yelling in fury. The voice of the Creator was explaining what must be done to Wilfre and Jowee, even witnessing the sword being brought into existence. Mari was caressing his arm, asking the Creator why this happened; to be told that a Hero wasn't enough for the task. Various times of overhearing commotion once more, the villagers even going into a panic at one point. Silence. Peace. No danger...

These first memories confused Drew at first, but he wasn't able to think about them while even more continued to flood inside.

All the villagers were gathered around a flamed pedestal as everything went white around them. A blonde Raposa girl was being twirlhugged by Jowee. A sword was gripped tight as Wilfre, as a Shadow Raposa, sat in his throne cloud of color and darkness. The Merge occurred while overhearing Mari's prayer to the Creator. The villagers were wishing him luck on defeating Wilfre. The last three villagers were found throughout the Wasteland, as well as Mari going back to the side of the villagers. A Rapo Boy with a sock on his head was revealed as Wilfre after a pendant was thrown into the ocean. Click was elected as Mayor. The King and Queen were stopped. The council was revealed as run entirely by Click. The lost villagers of what was Dot Rot Pot USF were found after arriving. The third place pointed by the pendant was Dot Rot Pot USF. Jowee was comforted by him after Mari was revealed to be working for Wilfre. King Miney became a Mayor after a giant Robosa was defeated. More lost villagers were found while trying to resolve the problems of Lavasteam, and most notably Key wasn't in a wheelchair. Mari disappeared just before arriving to Lavasteam. The next point on the map was Lavasteam. He was confronting a Baki pirate who, after death, became a giant ghost. A gray-furred Raposa with a mask and cape was revealed as Wilfre after causing some trouble. A Raposa woman with curls in her hair was telling him to defeat someone named Bakibeard. The musical city was rejoicing after their Mayor regained her voice, calling her Mayor Rose. The Raposa are amazed that color could easily be brought back, after being greeted to the city known as Watersong. The pendant points off to an unknown village, while the villagers began to follow it. Mari and Jowee are looking at him in awe after opening his eyes, Jowee asking if he remembered him. A different memory involving Creation Hall losing color, including himself, while Mari and Jowee flee in fear...

This was only the scratched surface of memories that invaded his mind.

A reception/celebration after a triumph. He was facing a giant scribble monster that prior had eaten up a red-haired Raposa woman. Wilfre was never the cause of the havoc going on, and the red-haired Raposa woman revealed herself as Wilfre's significant other. After travelling with wings, found some branches from something called the Tree of Ages. Two soon-to-be-wedded Raposa were found after they'd wondered off, fearing they could be in danger with Wilfre possibly around. A Shadow Raposa beats him to what was called the Eternal Furnace after looking for a long while for it around a very cold place; and beforehand had found a frozen rose for the soon-to-be-wedded Raposa couple. Wilfre's journal was read, revealing his back up plans to thwart the Creator, involving something called the Artifacts of Power. Turned out that finding Wilfre's journal was booby-trapped, and ambushed by a giant Shadow Monster; only to find that it was hungry, he fed him in the hope to not be harmed. Shadow City was a very dangerous place, but he had to go through it to find Wilfre's journal, as well as a Pen and Pencil. The giant Monkey with a crown had let him have a Mask after defeating the intruding Shadow Creatures. He was swinging through vine after vine with a Monkey tail in investigation. The red-haired Raposa was asking about the Book of Life, for Mari to explain the story of Wilfre, calling her Circi. Creations were disappearing, as he was told after being redrawn to life...

The final third was coming in at full force, with no mercy on his overwhelmed conscious.

He was walking away with an elder Raposa with a cane, who appeared to be a spirit, after watching Mari and Jowee reunite. First he had to face a giant scorpion that Wilfre had, then Wilfre himself, oddly lost in a mindless rage; only to find out his mistake by seeing his real, Raposa form before it disappeared before his eyes. He needed to fight Wilfre, after all the things he did, and it made him uncontrollably angry. The elder Raposa was deceased, with Mari having a break down and Jowee comforting him after Mari had said something awful to him. Through the City Gate door the first time ever, traversing through Rapo City, Windy Hills, and Rapo Towers; along the way, he found the most peculiar thing, and was what he thought was a 'Human', named Mike. Now the villagers were worried over the vampire in their Village. A giant angular fish named Angular King was threatening the Village and had to be stopped, while Wilfre was trying to make him change sides. Rapo Islands he went through, finding and discovering so many things, like a Baki temple and flying fish; all the while, villagers were getting concerned over pirates, but Jowee found his idol, named Indee. A festival about Mari's Mayor apprenticeship, with an honourable mention of his own, while Jowee managed to finally give Mari a special flower. Samuel was saved from a giant tree named Deadwood, whom was really just possessed by a Shadow Crawler. He found himself getting lost several times while in the Forest Gate. The blonde Raposa clung to Jowee, who was assigned to care for her; as well as voicing out that her name was Heather. A clash with a giant ice Dragon named Frostwind and rescuing little Heather. Journeying through the Snow Gate and finding the other lost villagers and all the while, removing darkness from the Village with something called the Eternal Flame. He was drawing various things with a special drawing utensil, that would help him later on. The elder Raposa was rescued soon before Isaac and what appeared to be his family, where the story of Wilfre was told. He was finding a small Rapo girl named Cindi from behind a bush, who seemed scared of him at first before Mari assured her otherwise. Mari and Jowee were looking up at him after being... Drawn.

However, this initial memory rush triggered even more; the blocked memories of his dreams he would have every night. This time, the flashes of memory were too fast for Drew to keep up with, but with each passing one, he began to understand everything.

Drew opened his eyes with a start after the last one had come and gone, his paws feverishly gripping his knees, trying to steady himself. Everything suddenly made sense to him; the occurrences when he would say something but not know how he knew, his apparent platform-climbing skill, the similar hair color and style...

Drew was the Creation Hero, reborn into the body of a Raposa. In a way, he was a pseudo-Raposa, but that seemed fine. He could recall himself begging the Creator to allow him to help the others, being told he would lose all memory if he was to be put into a nondestiny-bound Raposa body, him accepting the consequence, and finally appearing and talking to Wilfre in a dream from long ago.

He had awoken in a Lavasteam street, only with the gold fur on his skin; then he was found by Dr. Cure not too long after being lost and confused, as well as vulnerable to the Shadow Raposa and Creatures. He didn't know who he was, or where he came from, so Dr. Cure and Key decided to call him 'Drew'...

_But I'm not just Drew anymore,_ he thought to himself as he got onto his back paws, _I'm also the Creation Hero. But Sly knows it as well; that's why he made the bet with Wilfre, so..._

"Thank you for helping me, Secret Flower," he spoke softly to the still glowing flower nearby, "I think I know what I should do. Goodbye!" He heard the flower shift its position once more, its glow as radiant as always, while he turned around to go back.

_You're welcome... _it paused for a moment while Drew began to descend the platform stairs, before adding one last word, _... Sparky._


	38. 38 The First Tyranny

It has been a while. Let's just get straight to the chapter, shall we?

* * *

><p>38. The First Tyranny<p>

Ever since Sly had turned her into a Shadow Raposa, Mari had been locked away into pure subconscious as the Shadow Goo gained control. Once Sly had given her the Book of Life and left the Village, she had abused it in every which way she could by summoning corrupt versions of the Creator's creations into existence. This included warping Village Hall into a Shadow-estic palace of sorts, Shadow Goo wings on her back, a small Shadow Goo tiara on her head and otherwise turning the Village into her personal playground.

Isaac had noticed the commotion from in the Turtlerock store, but didn't go outside after using a window to find out what was going on. Only seeing a corrupted Mari meant it was too dangerous to go out alone, in fear of being captured or recorrupted.

In just a few short hours, the Village was full of Shadow Creatures once more, along with corrupted creations. Luckily, they were all pseudo-Shadow Creatures, and could be destroyed by anyone, but that didn't make them less threatening.

The Shadow Goo possessing Mari decided she needed a different name; so she wouldn't be confused with the weak little Mari she controlled. Perhaps something like...

Queen Marium?

Yes, that was a proper ruler's name; one that sounded mature and strong.

Thus, began the First Tyranny known as Queen Marium.

* * *

><p>"Alright, let's find Mari and see if we can go anywhere else," Jowee said happily as he and Samuel stepped out of the Gate door. Samuel nodded to assure Jowee was heard as they crossed the river from the ocean. Afterwards, the both of them were surprised when they saw a sudden increase in Shadow Creatures, along with types they'd never seen before.<p>

"We should find somewhere safe," Samuel called out after the two had defeated the closest attacking Creatures, "Something has gone terribly wrong..." Jowee shook his head, wanting to go to Village Hall.

"What about Mari...?" he'd replied with, only to be pulled away from the building in question by Samuel, who was telekinetically dragging him toward Turtlerock.

"The Shadow Creatures appear to be coming out of Village Hall, Jowee," he said sternly as he lead the way, "If there are more, there is no chance of us being able to get inside-" Jowee roughly pulled back in resistance, even though Samuel's Telekinesis was keeping him from escaping the invisible grip.

"No!" he yelled out in vain, "I will NOT risk Mari's safety like this! What if she's in danger? What if Sly's here? WHAT IF I JUST WANT TO-"

"Stop, Jowee...!" Samuel rose his voice in irritation, "There is nothing we can do as of now- Aah!" he broke off here when he was pulled on the ground by his front, as Jowee somehow freed himself from his grip. Jowee didn't stop there, running off into the distance, straight to Village Hall. Samuel quickly got up and chased after Jowee, yelling out this time "Come back, Jowee! You don't know what lies inside!" His words were unheard as Jowee opened the door to Village Hall, his eyes opening wide from the interior.

Just as Samuel got close enough to pull him back, Jowee was pulled inside by a Shadow Goo fist, the door slamming shut afterwards. Samuel reached the door, wasting no time in trying to open it, only to find it locked. Instead, he pulled out his length of pipe, hitting it against the door and knob repeatedly, but the door wouldn't open anymore. From the racket he had made, Samuel had no time to rest as he noticed several more Creatures deciding to target him.

"Please be safe, Jowee..." he pleaded in a low voice, looking back one last time before forcing himself to flee, hiding inside the closest possible place available; Creation Hall.

* * *

><p>From inside what used to be Village Hall, Jowee was still trapped in the grip of a Shadow Gooed hand. Try all his might, he couldn't break free from the prison as he was swiftly led through twists, turns and halls. His surprise quickly became fear as he let out a scream. Eventually the trip ended when a large set of double doors opened wide, revealing what appeared to be a rather unusual throne room. There sat a Shadow Raposa, fitted with Shadow wings and tiara. In her Shadowed paws, she thumbed idly through pages of a large book before noticing the newcomer. She pulled the arm of the hand back towards her, bringing Jowee along in the process, and looked him over without a single word.<p>

Jowee could only stare into her glowing white eyes while shaking uncontrollably. He let out a gulp before mustering the courage to speak. "W-Who are you, and what've y-you done to Mari?"

"The young Mayor?" the Shadow Raposa spoke at last in a question, her voice a tainted Mari's. "Why, her subconsciousness has told me all about her. So frail and weak. She clearly didn't know what she was doing as a leader. But as of now, I rule this pathetic place you call a Village. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't just execute you for unlawful entrance of my home." To her surprise, Jowee was able to make a comeback near instantly, realizing that Mari had been corrupted by this Shadow Being.

"Because you're WRONG!" he spat, his fear erasing into fury and he began to struggle wildly, "Mari, I know you're in there, and you have to fight ba- OWW!" He was silenced when the Shadow Raposa smacked him in the face.

"The welp doesn't even struggle," she replied in a no-nonsense sort of way, "So you're just wasting your time, Jowee."

"You know my n-name..." Jowee said once more once he recovered from having his face smacked, "Just who are YOU?"

"Queen Marium," she introduced proudly, putting a paw over her heart, "The first Queen of this sad dump. ... But I'll make it work, somehow."

"Not another king and queen thing again..." Jowee huffed bitterly as he remembered the time in the past when Mayor Miney was a King, as well as having to fend off the King and Queen ships of the old URSF; only being responded to with another smack to the face. He let out another yelp from the contact.

"Is whining all you're known for, Jowee?" Marium asked genuinely, before an idea came to mind. "If so, then no wonder Mari is so turned off by you."

"W-What?" A blush formed on Jowee's face after hearing those words, "What do you mean? I mean, uh... I don't..."

"Stop acting like you're not in love with little Mari," A giggle of sadistic mirth as Marium paused, then continued in stride, "You should just give up on her. As far as subconscious goes, she's only interested in real men, not little boys. I can't say I blame her, though; you seem to be someone she's had to fret over nearly all her life; giving her so much stress as both a Rapo child and a failing Village Mayor." One of her eyes twitched slightly, but went unnoticed by Jowee. As she talked, a few picture frames faded into existence, each displaying segments of Mari's memories while the frames containing each floated around the two.

"You're l-lying!" Jowee stuttered, not wanting to believe whatever he was being told, "Mari is- I mean- She's my best friend, and we've been friends for so long, and... And I... And she..." He did all he could to construct an argument, but to no avail. The more he thought about what Marium had told him, things did start to make sense, but only a little. He couldn't help but then eye the frames, watching the memories flash by, most of them representing the times where he would seem more interested in himself than Mari, and times where it implied that Mari herself was trying to send him hints, but he didn't understand them.

There were even memories playing that took place while Wilfre was trying to put the Village in darkness, so long ago...

"How dare you call yourself her 'best friend'," Marium snarled, slamming the book shut in her lap, anger in her eyes. "Jowee, you're such a twit." She paused as she lifted the book in her arm as she rose to her back paws, then holding out a paw where a ball of Shadow Goo formed. "You're apparently almost eighteen, but you don't act much older than twelve. Just face the facts; she'll never feel for you in anything more than mere friendship, if that's what you both _really_ call it."

Jowee looked away for several moments, trying to comprehend the words. Until now, he hadn't fully realized just how he had treated Mari. Through all she'd done for him and all those times where she would worry for him; only to find that in return, he acted ignorant to her feelings and not even respond properly. Even recently, there were times when she would claw his face for things he would do and say. It made him sick to think that through it all, he almost expected Mari to feel the same for him even after what he'd been doing; it just wasn't deserved in his eyes.

_She doesn't deserve me..._ Jowee finally thought to himself in shame, hardly noticing the ball of Shadow Goo approaching his forehead. _If I'd been more grown up, maybe I would've had a chance, but... There's no way. There's no point in wishing for courage. There's no point..._ His thoughts trailed off when he'd felt the cold blob of Shadow Goo reach his forehead, causing him to instinctively struggle a bit with a third yelp of fright. However, both of these things stopped quickly as Jowee accepted his fate.

_There's no point... In anything anymore._

* * *

><p>Once he had come out from the fake wall, Drew thought to himself as to where Wilfre would be by now, and he hoped that he wasn't on the verge of breaking down again, especially since Wilfre was on his own for a while now. He quickly padded off in search for him, remembering how to traverse through the vast mansion. A thought occurred to him while he was running; if his memories were correct, Wilfre was not going to find his journal here, but in Creation Hall, where it was stored for safe keeping.<p>

_But I can't just blurt that out,_ he thought to himself as he passed another hall, _Sly could be easedropping at any time, and we don't even know if he can listen from afar somehow... I must be very, very careful with what I do and say._ He stopped in front of one of the Hero statues, looking upon it with more confidence. _Wilfre needs to know it's me, but in a way where Sly won't find out. To everyone else, I'm just Drew. To Wilfre... I'm Sparky._ With a sigh, he started off again, this time to a certain destination.

Here, there was a long hall with a line of stained glass windows like before, one or two of them being shattered. Drew slowed his pace to a walk, soon enough reaching the lone door at the end of the hall. On the other side was Wilfre, who was sitting cross-legged, an open book in his paws, reading. As Drew approached him, his ears perked and looked over at him.

"Where'd you run off to, Drew?" he asked curiously, an eyebrow raised as he got onto his back paws, shutting the book. "Don't tell me you got lost or something..."

_It's time,_ Drew thought to himself again as he took a deep breath.

"I didn't get lost," he replied, approaching him further until he was face-to-face with Wilfre. "To tell the truth, I did get a little lost before... But not this time." Wilfre was confused by his words, wondering where this change came from.

"You... Were here before?" he asked again, scratching his head a bit. Drew nodded, thinking about what to say next.

"Don't you remember?" he looked around the room as he continued on, "After all, you almost... Won." Wilfre was starting to worry, his mind frantically searching for answers.

"Err..." was all he could say, worry creeping over him even moreso than before.

"Let's just say that everything makes sense now..." Drew started, then embracing Wilfre lightly, whom became surprised from the gesture. Drew then added in a whisper, "And... I forgive you. For everything."

Wilfre was completely speechless at this point, a feeling of deja vu overcoming him once again, but this time he tried to remember why. Eventually, he recalled a dream he had a long while ago, and a moment where the Hero had held him. This embrace felt the exact same, unlike the last time when Drew had almost suffocated him from his excitement. It was odd, being able to distinguish something like this, but from the affection and the choices of words, it began to dawn on Wilfre that...

"You... You are..." Wilfre would've finished the sentence of Drew hadn't shhhed him, in an urgent matter.

"Don't say anything, please," he warned gently, pulling away from Wilfre at this point, "No one can know, just us. I don't want... Him... To know. Pretend you don't, while I stay as 'Drew'. At least, until everything's over." Wilfre nodded in understanding, before bringing out the paper from before.

"I get it," he said in assurance, unfolding the paper and holding his paw out for Drew. "I found my journal, so let's go back to the Village. From there, we'll be able to investigate further." When Drew noticed the book, he was surprised to see that it had been here all along. He thought about why this was until he seemed to understand.

_That's right, Mike and Heather weren't around in this t-_

"Drew?" Wilfre called again, which snapped Drew out of his thoughts. "Did you hear me? We need to go back to the Village." Drew let out a nervous laugh, taking Wilfre's outstretched paw into his own.

"Sorry, I was just nervous about the teleporting thing, that's all," he replied afterward. Wilfre shrugged a bit with a small smile of his own, using the paper to bring them back to the old Shadow Lair. This time, Drew didn't fall over which made Wilfre feel more relieved.

The two trekked down the safe path like before, the only noises being made being the light padding of paws that echoed through the tunnel. While they walked onward, Wilfre was thinking about something for a while, before he couldn't help but speak.

"I don't think Sly can hear us down here," he began casually, "In fact, I think he's forgotten all about this secret passage. I'm actually surprised that my journal was around at all; I wonder why he didn't just keep it from us..."

"Are you sure it's the real one, Wilfre?" Drew replied in his own question, "I mean, Sly could have it, and that book you have could be a fake..." Wilfre let out a small chuckle, holding the book up again so he could see it.

"I've thought about that, too," he flipped through a few pages after saying this, "But I can assure you that this is my original journal. I remember writing those words, the days that occurred, and all the little notes inside. Nothing's out of place. Plus, you know what?" he paused in his words and walking, closing the book again and showing him the cover, "You were right. It has my name on it, in my handwriting, with ink used years ago. It's even faded in a few places. I'm certain this isn't a fake version."

Drew couldn't help but be cautious, even if what Wilfre was saying made sense to him. "I know, but... Are there, like, special marks or something that proves it? Maybe I could see for myself... I've had to hold onto it before."

Wilfre couldn't speak for a few moments. "You didn't read in it, did you?"

"No!" Drew immediately jumped into defense, "Well, I didn't... I respected your privacy well enough. It was Mari, Jowee and Circi that snooped in it! They thought you'd come back, and-"

"Circi...?" Wilfre asked in confusion. "Who was Circi? The name sounds familiar, but... Oh Creator, I could swear I've heard it before..." Drew quickly stopped in his words, facepawing a little in his stupidity.

_That's because she didn't exist here EITHER!_ he thought to himself, before he spoke out loud. "Err, slip of the tongue. It was just Mari and Jowee. And you wouldn't have known about this because, well... You didn't actually come back yet..."

"Of course," Wilfre replied, though wasn't sure if he really believed the story. Soon afterward, they approached the exit. "Almost home- I mean, there." As quickly as he tried to cover up the word, Wilfre was certain that Drew heard it, this feeling being confirmed when Drew replied to it.

"You miss living in the village too, don't you?"

"Shut it, mannequin," Despite snapping back at Drew in an out of habit manner, Drew only took it as a joke, which Wilfre partially intended. He let out a small laugh while Wilfre opened the exit, then the both of them climbing out, and went straight toward the Gate door nearby.

"A little late for that, Wilfre..." he muttered softly while they opened the Gate door together, then being greeted with a sight so terrible that it immediately wiped Drew's grin off his face. Shadow Creatures everywhere the eye could see, corrupted Book of Life creations littering around, and the village itself seemed to appear even more grayscale than it did before, if that was even possible.

"Oh..." Drew started again, Wilfre too awestruck to say anything, "Oh my Creator..."


	39. 39 Together We Slumber

It's been too long for an update. It simply must be done.

* * *

><p>39. Together We Slumber<p>

Samuel quickly turned to look when he'd heard something from outside trying to open the door, which he'd locked up tight to keep the Shadow Creatures from entering. He backed up a little, gripping his length of pipe tight in his paws, realizing that he could be attacked anytime soon.

_In fact, this could be the end of me,_ he thought to himself with a small gulp, _Perhaps this is fate, leaving the mortal earth in the place closest to Mother Nature Herself..._ Despite his fear and possible realization, Samuel shook his head, denying the statement. _No. I musn't give up, not after everything thus far. If it is fate, then... I would rather have had attempted survival._

"Oh, this is pure Baki dung!" he suddenly heard this coming from outside the door, though the walls making the voice muffled, "Why, of all times, is Creation Hall locked up like this?" The struggling paused briefly, before a loud ramming noise almost shook the small building.

"Oww...!" another voice grunted in pain, "I- I'm not that strong, after all..."

"It's okay, Drew," the first piped up again, slightly more calm, "You did your best."

By now, it was clear that Samuel knew that nothing outside the door was a threat, heading over to the door and undoing the locks, then opening the door a bit.

"Thank goodness; you are both well," he spoke lightly, quickly letting the two Raposa in before redoing the locks afterwards, "Especially you, Wilfre. Something has gone horribly wrong in the Village."

_That much I know..._ Wilfre thought in his mind, but kept it as a thought, then saying aloud, "Has anyone else returned?" Samuel shook his head, his expression becoming slightly forlorn, while Drew held onto one of his shoulders, possibly due to ramming the door earlier.

"Only you, Drew, Jowee and I have, as far as I've seen," Samuel replied, "But... Some kind of Shadow Creature has kidnapped Jowee inside Village Hall. Though, I assume Isaac may still be safe, cooped up in his Turtlerock store. I myself would have gone there if I wasn't alone..."

"They got Jowee?" Drew spoke up suddenly, wild fear in his eyes, "He's doomed if we don't save him...!" He got up, seeming to ignore the confusion brought on by the other two Raposa, marching over to Samuel and quickly gripping his shoulders. "And Mari; how is Mari? Is she safe? Was she kidnapped, too? PLEASE Samuel, tell me!" Samuel was too bewildered by Drew's change of tone and emotion to respond, allowing Wilfre the option to intervene, trying to pull Drew away.

"Calm down, Drew," he began in assurance, doing his best to restrain him from going too far, "While yes, Jowee could be in danger, I'm sure Mari is fine... Probably safe at Isaac's. Now come on, let Samuel go before you crush his shoulders." Drew realized what he was doing, doing as was told and backing away from them both, sinking into his thoughts for a little while instead.

_It's so much harder to pretend than I thought it would be..._ He began in his thoughts, _Because I remember everything, I remember why I was made in the first place, and the instinct to protect everyone is so hard to ignore. I have to pretend I don't remember anything, I have to pretend I don't have any battle skills, I have to pretend to be Drew... Samuel's probably already figured it out now because of my little episode... I just wish I didn't have to pretend!_

"Is Drew alright?" Samuel quietly asked Wilfre while this went on, genuine concern clouding his face now.

"He's... Just concerned for them," Wilfre answered, doing his best to cover up the actions, before attempting to change the topic completely, "Since there's three of us now, I think we'll be able to make it to Isaac's, where it's safer. If we stay too long, we'll eventually be found by the Shadow Creatures."

Samuel nodded, holding onto his length of pipe tightly before recalling something. "Did you ever find your journal, Wilfre?"

"Yes, we did," Wilfre simply replied, drawing out his sword once again, watching as Drew seemed to snap out of his thoughts, following after them as they went to the door, "Stay with us, Drew. We won't let them hurt you." As he was still slightly irritated at himself, Drew would've snapped back that he could protect himself, but this time held his tongue, only nodding to Wilfre's words. However, he did still choose to say something.

"Sorry, Samuel," he said quietly as Wilfre this time undid the locks to the door of Creation Hall, "I didn't mean to freak out like that..." Samuel simply gave a small smile of assurance, following Wilfre out the door when it'd been opened.

"Do not apologize," he replied, holding the pipe close in his paws while Wilfre wielded his sword, "It is clear that you show concern for them, and I do not blame you. Now, let us find Isaac."

Luckily, it hadn't taken the three Raposa long to reach the Turtlerock store Isaac was always stowed away in. However, this was mostly because they were chased a few times by Shadow Creatures, making them have to outrun them before continuing on. With their running, though, they soon found themselves right nearby the dock.

"Wilfre, Drew, Samuel; you guys made it!" Isaac greeted once the three had entered the building. "The Village has gone to chaos ever since Mari was turned into a Shadow Raposa..."

"W-What?" the other three exclaimed, though Drew seemed the most stricken from the bit of news.

"Then the one who took Jowee was her as well," Samuel added in once they'd settled. "But it is not clear what the reasoning is..."

"... It's because he's the closest one to her," Drew muttered to himself, turning away completely. Luckily, no one had heard him as he turned toward the door they'd just entered. _But it's not my place to save them now... That belongs to Wilfre..._ he added in a thought.

"I don't think that matters at this moment," Wilfre was replying to Samuel, sounding a bit stern while he crossed his arms. "Sly's gone too far this time, corrupting Mari in such a way. Unless it involved life and death, I highly doubt she would've willingly joined him." A small silence fell upon the others, until Isaac added some words.

"... You thought it was life and death too, Wilfre."

"I know," was all Wilfre would reply with at first, grimacing from the words entirely but kept himself together, "But unlike me, Sly probably made something up to convince her; all of us know from experience that she'd only bend if it involved the belief that she would do so for the good of her villagers. If it involved anything less, she wouldn't be fooled..."

"We need to save them, as fast as we can...!" Drew added, his tone becoming slightly desperate, but doing all he could to restrain all urges to go on his own. "We can't just sit here and talk about why, we need to-" He cut himself off as the building became dark, as if night had rushed in ahead of schedule. The four Raposa were frozen in fear, holding their breath as they heard the faintest of distorted, feminine giggles. Afterwards came a whisper.

"Isn't it about time for our little heroes to slumber?" It dawned on them that the corrupted Mari could hear their every word before, and was more than eager to halt their plans.

"How-How did she...?" Wilfre muttered to himself, his voice dying in his throat as a sudden, overwhelming wave of exhaustion came over his body. He fought against the force, hearing a thud of one of the Raposa hitting the floor, already unconscious.

"You've seen those unusual Shadow Creatures... Right?" Isaac attempted his reply, Wilfre hearing him thud to the ground as well, but not as roughly, "If what I saw was... Correct, Sly gave her the Book... Book of..." No more was heard from Isaac, another soft thud singalling that he'd lost consciousness as well. However, Wilfre didn't need to hear any more; already getting what Isaac meant. He wished that he or Samuel would've mentioned this earlier on, but lost the ability to care after another moment. Soon, Wilfre found himself on his knees, his limbs very weak at this point as he forced himself awake, despite how strong the need of sleep was on his body.

"Drew...? Samuel...?" he called out weakly, hoping either one of them was awake.

"I'm here, Wilfre," came a soft reply, the padding of pawsteps being heard, Wilfre being felt for a few moments before having his body shifted around, laying on his side now while the neighboring body lay nearby him. Wilfre knew for sure that the other Raposa hadn't been Samuel, but Drew. He, oddly enough, didn't sound sleepy at all, though it could've been forced. "We need to save her. Jowee too... When we wake up, we'll all go save them. Together." Wilfre couldn't reply anymore, simply nodding lightly instead, his eyes easing shut after his struggle to refrain from sleeping, quickly losing within another few seconds.

Truth be told, Drew had been able to resist for as long as he had due to his previous, mannequin life, where he never needed it, nor any other biological functions. At last, however, his Raposa body had remembered that he was not such a being any longer, the wave piercing inward in a much more strong rate. As such, Drew found himself as suddenly exhausted as the other Raposa who now slept around him, but didn't fight the urge. He was out without another thought.

"Sleep tight..." the whisper giggled again, but knew none of them could hear her.

* * *

><p><em>A blond boy abruptly sat up in the grass he'd been apparently laying on. From what he could see, he was in the middle of what appeared to be an endless forest, with trees so tall that he couldn't see the tops. However, the trees, leaves and grass all lacked color and were grayscaled instead, and any space between the grass and trees was just an empty white. In fact, white seemed to also be a lowly elevated fog, but not too strong to be unable to see.<em>

_Getting onto his feet, the boy began to wander around, confused by the landscape. _Who's dream is this...?_ he wondered to himself as he continued to look around. _This couldn't be Wilfre's... But I don't understand! I fell asleep right next to him, didn't I? Why didn't I just spawn in his dream? Why here...?_ The boy sighed to himself, looking over his body. _At least here, I'm not a Raposa. No offense to them, but it's not an easy body to get used to. At least here, I don't have to pretend to be someone useless and suffering from Amnesia. And, at least here, Sly can't hear anything...

_He paused, standing behind a tree and peeking from the side, seeing a figure. At half his height, the figure appeared to be a Raposa, wandering down a white, empty-like path, where no grass or trees grew. The Raposa didn't appear confused or even the slightest curiousity about the surroundings, simply moving forward like everything here was normal scenery._

But it's not,_ the boy thought to himself again, stepping a bit closer to the Raposa, _So it's clear that the dream's controlling him... Who is he, though?_ Despite that he probably shouldn't, he got even closer, nearing the path entirely. It was then that he made out the Raposa's features. The oversized, brown and light blue trimmed robe was all he needed to know. The boy suddenly hid behind the tree, facepalming at his forgetfulness._

Oh yeah, that's right... _he thought once more, _The Creator warned me about this a few nights ago; back when I wouldn't have been able to remember those dreams. Tonight is Samuel's epiphany dream... She warned me that I may end up here, and if I do, I would need to make Samuel lucid, but not interfere any further. _He paused with a quiet sigh of exasperation. _Oh, it was so much easier as just a Creation Hero. All I needed to worry about then was the safety of the villagers, but now... Now I have bigger tasks concerning them as an Angel...

_As much as what was at stake concerning these such dreams, the boy knew what he had to do. However, making a Raposa aware of their dreaming was difficult, and depended on the Raposa themselves. In fact, when he and Wilfre shared a dream before, Wilfre only truly realized it was a dream at all when he was told so. As Samuel was an entirely different Raposa, the same method would probably have little chance of sucess. The point wasn't just to make them realize they were dreaming; the point was to make it so without causing them to awaken._

_In normal dreams, it wouldn't affect their lives; in important dreams, such as epiphanies, it mattered. In short, Samuel's very future rested in the hands of this one Angel Hero. If that wasn't stressful, he wanted to know what was._

_With a bit more remembering, the dream was only triggered due to the corrupted Mari speeding up time, possibly with the abuse of the Book of Life. He also figured that she would then make time as slow as possible, or even stop if she could, but if time did truly stop, this dream wouldn't even be able to proceed. So instead, she would probably make due with the slowest time could get, adding to the longest of dreams. The longest night..._

_The boy parted from the tree he was hiding behind, beginning to follow Samuel but mindful not to get too close yet. However, as he thought about how to make him lucid, his boot stepped on a twig, a loud _snap_ being heard. Both the boy and Samuel stopped in their tracks, Samuel turning his head curiously to find the source of the noise, instantly spotting the blond Angel. After a moment, Samuel began to approach him, which made the boy frown and shake his head for him to stop. Unfortunately, Samuel didn't listen - or rather, the dream controlling him didn't._

_"Hello, Sparky," he greeted, a small smile appearing on his face once nearby the boy. "What brings you here in the Forest? Please tell me Jowee did not decide to have another 'adventure' in Twilite Wood..."_

_Sparky forced a smile and greeted in return, playing along. "Hey, Samuel. No, um, Jowee's..." he paused, wondering how to respond without a technical lie, "He didn't. I just... Wanted to check on you a little. Gee, um... Is it just me, or is this Forest a little strange...?"_

_Samuel looked around, but appeared confused by what he was told, "Is it not always this way?"_

This dream has a REALLY strong hold on him..._ Sparky thought with a small frown. _Let's see if I can jog his memories better than the dream, then.

_"No, it isn't," he replied aloud this time, leading Samuel out of the trees and onto the path again. "For one, it's not supposed to look so barren and spooky. The grass, leaves and trees aren't in grayscale, and where this down here-" he paused to step against the path, "Is supposed to have soil. Then, above us and the trees, there would be a colorful sky with clouds, the Sun, the Moon and the stars. Remember...?" There was silence as Samuel seemed to process the information, looking around once again, even upwards to find that if there was a sky at all, he couldn't see it. After a while, his expression suddenly changed to atertness, him looking around yet again, this time more frantically before looking Sparky in the eyes._

_"This is not the Forest..." he spoke with a slight edge to his voice, "Where... Where is this? Where are we, Sparky?" Sparky could sense that his idea had worked, but he also sensed Samuel's fear, even if mostly subdued as he did all he could to not lose his cool. Thus, the aura of fear was concentrated on the inside, and it was strong, despite how much he allowed to show. Sparky knelt down on his knee, taking Samuel gently by the paw and returning his stare. He smiled gently before he replied._

_"Don't be afraid, Samuel," he said with a quiet tone, feeling the paw shiver slightly in his hold, "This is a dream, and nothing is going to hurt us. But, it's important that you stay in this dream for now. You're going to be fine." After the last sentence, Samuel looked behind him once before beginning to relax._

_"A dream... Yes, that would explain a lot," he sighed after saying this, his paw ceasing its shaking, "But is there any reason why this particular one is important I have?"_

_"I wish I could say," Sparky frowned again in having to keep it secret, "But I can say that it's going to be very special, and that it was important for you to become lucid. You yourself need to be aware of what will happen. And to find out, you'll need to continue on this path you were walking down earlier."_

_"... I assume you won't be able to stay," Samuel added, catching Sparky off-guard but had to nod in agreement._

_"No, I'm not supposed to interfere past lucidity," he let go of Samuel's paw before standing up straight once more, practically forcing himself to step away and into the trees. Though, he paused when Samuel addressed him again._

_"Is it too much trouble that you take me to where I must be?" he couldn't help but ask, though a bit timidly. "I know I am capable of going on my own and that nothing will harm me, but... As selfish as it sounds, I miss the days where you were around to aide us, Sparky. It would mean very much if you aided me... One more time. I understand if it's not possible under the circumstan-" he was cut off when Sparky had reapproached and embraced him. For a strange reason, Sparky could feel tears form in his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks._

_"I miss th-those days, too..." he whimpered, still holding Samuel even if he knew he'd probably become uncomfortable and possibly change his mind, "Back when all I h-had to worry about was the villagers' safety a-and helping them when they needed m-me... But now, I, I... It's so much h-harder now! As an Angel, I'm protecting more than your lives; I'm protecting your futures, your destinies, your-your... Even your dreams..."_

_Samuel listened carefully as Sparky let off steam in this manner, strangely enough noticing a deja vu from the way he was being embraced, though he couldn't quite remember how it felt familiar. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around the Angel Hero in return, knowing it was the right thing to do._

_"And now Mari is corrupted, J-Jowee is kidnapped and I c-can't do anything about it!" Sparky continued more loudly, the tears leaking down his face at this point, "It's all because i-it's not my place anymore to save the Raposa; it's Wilfre's! I'm n-not meaning that I'm jealous or th-that it's unfair, I...! It's just my instincts to p-protect everyone making me want t-to help you all, only to be told that I'm not a-allowed to anymore, and as much as I kn-know Wilfre's changed for the better and how capable he i-is, it's so hard for me to just r-rely on him for their safety! He wasn't drawn to life o-on a wooden mannequin body; he wasn't specifically built to protect th-the Raposa; he w-wasn't born for this destiny..."_

_Samuel nodded while he listened, frowning a bit himself as he realized that he never noticed that this was probably what went on with the Creation Hero since the beginning of all the chaos caused by Sly, especially when they had gone through their biggest crisises without anyone to protect them - while Sparky would suffer as well from being unable to do anything, no matter how much he wished he could. Instead, he would be forced to sit back and watch the Raposa he grew to know and love fall apart from afar, overwelmed with an unstoppable threat and not taking long before their homes, their towns and their lives all went to ruin._

_Even so, one part of the explanation confused him._

_"You know of our situation?" he asked quietly, but still holding the Angel Hero in his arms, "This whole time, you have been watching over us, alike Mother Nature?" Sparky nearly froze when he was asked these questions. Samuel wasn't supposed to know about the secret; not yet, at least, not until Sly was gone and the world was safe. He frantically wondered how to respond, not noticing his tears anymore. He didn't want to spill the beans, nor did he want to lie..._

_"Yes," he decided in his answer, as vaguely as he could, "I've been watching over you, along with the Creator. It's hard, being unable to do anything but hope that everything works out; when I was so used to taking situations into my own wooden hands and make sure things are alright..." He stopped there, noticing that they were still in an embrace, pulling back and standing up straight once again. Wiping what was left of his tears, he turned to face the pathway. "... Okay, I'll take you where you need to be; I'm sure the Creator would understand. But then, I'll have to leave."_

_Samuel began to follow Sparky down the path, nodding but not understanding the sudden change of topic. After a while of silence, another question came to Samuel's mind. "Sparky, could you tell me about Drew? Despite his lack of memory about Mari and Jowee before meeting in Lavasteam, he seemed... Unusually disturbed about what happened to them." Sparky was glad he was facing ahead so that Samuel couldn't see the absolute shock on his face. Though, he should've known something like this would happen, for he was well aware of Samuel easily putting things together and drawing conclusions._

_"Um..." he could only utter at first, but not stopping his walking as Samuel followed, "I'm not supposed to say much about that, Samuel. All I can say is that he's an... Irregular. He's not like most Raposa."_

_"How so?" Samuel asked again, only for Sparky to abruptly stop, avoiding the question entirely as he announced,_

_"Here we are!" the unusual response confused Samuel again, but decided not to question it, stopping with the Hero next to him. "I need to go now... Sorry we couldn't keep talking, Samuel; it was nice and all, but I... Tonight's going to be the longest night in the history of Raposa, and it's essential that I don't waste any of it." Sparky paused as he took a step back, nudging Samuel forward lightly by pressing a hand against his upper back. "I hope you understand..."_

_To his relief, Samuel nodded once again in both understanding and gratitude, padding forward on his own. He turned his head to look at the Angel Hero one last time before disappearing ahead into the fog._

_"Do what must be done," he simply stated to Sparky. Sparky nodded in return with a grin, before running off into the distance._


	40. 40 The Longest Night

Continuing on!

When would be a good time to show the prisoners (Chapter 33: Lost in Imprisonment) again...?

(HOLY CRAP this has been in my documents for a while and had thirteen days left on it...)

* * *

><p>40. The Longest Night<p>

_"WILFRE!" the Angel Hero called out as he afterward fell nearby the Raposa who's dream he was looking for. He didn't let it distract him too much as he continued, "Finally, I found you... I TOLD you that you'd see me again!"_

_The Raposa in question turned his head, a sniffle being heard as he looked the boy over. As the Angel Hero looked up at him, it seemed like Wilfre had been crying for a while now, his usually light lavender eyes reddened along with his face. He didn't stand up from where he'd been half-laying over a bed, another, older Raposa laying in it under the covers. From the appearance of the room, it seemed like a hospital one, alike to the ones in Dr. Cure's hospital. Speaking of appearance, Wilfre was younger than he normally was, and couldn't be more than sixteen years old._

_"W... Who a-are you...?" Wilfre spoke, so quietly and stuttery. As the Hero got onto his feet again, he realized all too well what this dream was portraying, and frowned deeply in anguish. For the moment, he decided to play along with the dream, at least until he could get Wilfre to calm down enough to listen to his words. The last time he'd tried to make Wilfre realize this was a dream, it had ended abruptly as he awoke._

_"I'm Sparky..." Sparky replied just as quietly, approaching Wilfre until he was right next to him. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. Nothing you did caused you to deserve it." Wilfre looked over the boy once more, still sniffling through his tears._

_"You l-look like an Angel..." he said, then turning away when a realization hit him, "Are you h-here to take Dad a-away? To R-Rapo Heaven...?"_

_"No, no, no," Sparky replied, getting down to Wilfre's level and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "That deed's already been done. I know it hurts now, but it'll get better. And don't worry for him too much; he's safe, in a better place, where he won't ever get sick again."_

_"... Is he g-going to w-watch over me?" This time, Wilfre asked this as he looked over at the eternally sleeping face of his father. "Is h-he going to r-remember me w-when I..." He gulped, unable to finish the sentence. Sparky smiled a bit, rubbing Wilfre's shoulder a little._

_"Of course he'll watch over you, Wilfre," he spoke with enthusiasm, remembering himself a few times when he'd actually spoken to that Raposa in particular, "And of course he'll remember you. He loves you very much, and'll always be proud of you, no matter what. If you ever feel alone, just remember that he'll always be there, even if it doesn't seem like it. Okay?" Wilfre seemed to listen this time, nodding, before sitting up and looking at the Angel Hero again. Then, Sparky was surprised when the emotional Raposa brought him close, a few new sobs breaking free. Sparky immediately held the bawling Wilfre in return, shhhing him gently, watching as the body of Wilfre's father faded out of existence, the bed folds falling onto the sheets of the mattress. However, he didn't dare allow Wilfre to see._

_"It's okay, Wilfre," he said once more softly, rubbing Wilfre's back lightly, "It's okay... It's okay to cry. It'll get better, I promise..."_

_"Why..." Wilfre barely managed to let out, taking a deep breath through his sobs before continuing, "Why d-did the Creator have to t-take Dad away f-from me? I already l-lost Mom when I was f-five; when she l-left him and the v-village, and n-now I lose the l-last part of my already t-tiny family!? I HAVE no f-family now! I'm c-completely a-a-alone...! Why did it h-have to be me? Why n-not someone who h-has another to fall b-back on?"_

_Sparky listened, allowing Wilfre to yell and cry, only continuing to hold him and rub his back. It saddened him to know that Raposa usually don't get to understand that the Creator never chooses who lives and dies; such matters are news even to Her. Raposa, on the other paw, see the Creator as all-knowing, who gets to decide these instances._

_He remembered when he'd snuck into a place in Her realm, carrying all the memories pertaining to history of Her and Her creations' lives, start to finish, or to current if the case was as such. In such a hall, he was able to glimpse into various things of the past, and one included this very night._

_He found that even the Creator Herself was deeply shocked and distressed by the father of Wilfre suddenly showing up in Rapo Heaven._

_To prove that point, the two in the room heard the pouring of rain at the drop of a hat._

_"Even the Creator is crying..." Sparky mused, Wilfre too surprised by the change of weather to continue his sobs, going completely silent._

_"But... D-Didn't She e-expect this to happen?" he tried to speak after a moment. Sparky shook his head._

_"I guess not, Wilfre."_

_"But... She... W-Wait..." Wilfre became a bit confused, pulling out of the embrace and looking Sparky in the eyes. "That's... This isn't r-right..." Sparky didn't answer, which allowed Wilfre to study the room they were in. "You weren't... I didn't... Didn't this happen before...?" Just like that, the whole scene disappeared, nothing but white. Wilfre became surprised again, clinging to the Angel Hero._

_"W-What's happening?" He blurted out, his voice echoing, "Where are we? What happened to...?"_

_"We're wherever you want us to be, Wilfre," Sparky gently stated in reply, "Though, I think it would be best to be put in a happier place... Dream us a better dream!" Wilfre's breathing stopped for a split second as the information was processed._

_"Dream...?" His head shook rapidly after pulling back once again, trying to clear his mind. As he did so, his form changed, maturing into his current age. "Another dream... And you did come back, just as you promised..."_

_"That's right," Sparky nodded with a smile, "And I hoped I prevented a sad one... I hope it was just another memory dream, and not a warning for something in the future..."_

_"I wouldn't count on it," Wilfre replied as he became fully self-aware, getting completely out of the hold and sitting next to Sparky instead, "I've been having a lot of memory dreams lately. Perhaps it's only because I kept them blocked out for so long, that my body wants to make sure I remember. ... Was what you said true? That my father watches over me, and that he still loves me? That he's... Proud of me, no matter what?"_

_"Yes, I was completely honest with you," the Angel Hero replied again with another nod, sitting as well now, "Even if it was in the moment of a sad dream, what I said is true. I would never lie to you, Wilfre." The two were silent for a while as Wilfre took in the words, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes and face._

_"I didn't imagine that me 'seeing you again' meant Drew," Wilfre admitted at last, pulling his legs up to his body and wrapping his arms around them, "And I feel like an idiot for not seeing the signs sooner. I know it must be jarring, being unable to do anything even when you have your memories back. I should've listened to you when you told me to not agree to the bet." Wilfre paused with a sigh. "Well... Sooner or later I'll face Sly and end this once and for all. When he's finally out of the picture, everything can be revealed and everyone lives happily ever after. You can even do what you were made to do once more, if you wanted." Sparky couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the future, watching as a hill of dirt grew grass underneath them, as well as a tree forming behind them. It seemed that Wilfre wanted to put them right where they left off._

_"Yeah," he started, seeing the sky form with some clouds floating by, "But sadly, I'm stuck with the Raposa body until it... Expires. Only after that can I be a mannequin again. But by then, I think it'd be after our lifetimes... I don't mean to sound morbid or anything, but it's the truth."_

_"Raposa have long lifespans, Sparky," Wilfre rebutted with a small smirk, "So you better get used to it." Sparky rolled his eyes a little, but still smiled nonetheless. Then, a thought occured to him that made him frown._

_"It seemed really odd that we all suddenly got sleepy," he couldn't help but begin, "Just as suddenly as night appearing. I think... I think Mari sped up time to halt our plans to free her. She does have the Book of Life, so it'd make sense for her to take full advantage of it..." Wilfre's smirk died as he listened to the words, starting to piece something together._

_"Then to make a full plan and put it into motion," He added while thinking about it, "Make sure time is as slow as it can get? But what plan would she have to stop us if all she can do is slow time?"_

_There was more silence as the two sat there and thought about it more. Then, realizing it together, Sparky replied, "To take you away." He suddenly got up onto his feet, having no other choice but to run away from Wilfre, the hill, and the rest of the dreamspace. However, Wilfre seemed to realize what Sparky was doing, remaining where he was, no intent to stop him._

Knowing that we're all in danger, _Wilfre thought to himself, watching the Angel Hero disappear into the distance, _The Creator would be our of Her Rapoing _mind_ to not allow this.

* * *

><p>The Shadow Raposa had a wide grin on her face as she strolled toward Turtlerock, the Book of Life in her shadowed paws. An aura was encased around her, allowing her to stroll at a normal pace, unlike the rest of her surroundings that almost seemed completely motionless. The Book of Life was opened to the page pertaining to the Village Hall's clock tower, showing that time itself had been slowed to as far as possible. Shutting the Book and encasing it inside of herself, she casually hopped onto Turtlerock, heading directly toward the shop building.<p>

_It was nicer to walk instead of fly, _she thought to herself as she approached the door, _Besides, it won't matter soon. _

Opening the door, she stepped inside, using the glowing of her white eyes to see the slumbering Raposa around her. She let out a devious giggle.

_If Sly wanted that ponytailed freak so much, _she thought once more, padding past the Raposa until she came across who she was looking for, _Why didn't he just attempt this in the first place? Would've made the process so much_ _easier_. She paused in front of the sleeping Wilfre, a plan of mutiny beginning to form as she eyed the others once again._ If anything, I should be controlling the strings... _I_ should be the one to rule all of this rubbish of a world. _I_ should be the one to leech Wilfre's energy forever, along with those other two pathetic Raposa souls Sly already has. And _I_... Should be the one to destroy the Creator. I have the Book of Life, after all, so technically I'm more powerful than Sly could ever DREAM to be!_

She knelt down, lifting the sleeping, ponytailed Raposa by the shoulders and holding him above the ground. She let out a horrendously tainted cackle as she eyed him. _Forget what SLY wants; I'm taking this sucker for myself! That's it, Queen Marium; after taking all FOUR of these hosts as your own, let's go and confront that pathetic Sly and take what's rightfully YOURS!_ Her wide, toothy grin was suddenly turned into a frown as she heard a loud thud, followed by feeling the tip of a cold, sharp blade poke against the back of her neck.

"Let Wilfre go," spoke a voice behind her, tinted with reverb. "Right now." She turned her head toward the source of the voice, wondering who would dare halt her plans.

In front of her was a blond Angel boy, twice the height of a Raposa, clad in white clothes with gold trim. While the shirt and shorts were purely white and the trim, belt and shoes were gold, there was also an unmistakable symbol on the front of the shirt.

A gold lightning bolt.

However, the sight merely made her smirk with what appeared to be an eyeroll. She turned to face the Angel, not buying the threat the least bit. Judging from his appearance, she could tell that his power as an Angel caused him to be able to evade the slowed time effect. No matter, she decided, he won't be that hard to deal with.

"It's not like you'll actually do anything to harm me," was her coy response, tilting her head, "Hurt me too much with that so-called holy blade of yours, and the pathetic Mayor underneath dies. Bye-bye, just like that. But _I_ wouldn't..." The Angel stiffened as she began to encase the Shadow Goo onto Wilfre's shoulders, tightening the grip of his blade. Seeing his tension, she continued, "Yes, that's right, Sparky. It's the same thing that happened in the past, isn't it? When you and Wilfre fought, you KILLED him more than once. But you couldn't kill Sly, now could you? HE'S the only reason Wilfre was allowed to cheat death, after all!"

"I'll ask you one more time Mari," Sparky replied after a moment of thought, trying to ignore her barbed words, "Let Wilfre go. Don't make me have to defend him and everyone else in here from you."

Wilfre's shoulders were almost completely covered in the Shadow Goo by now, while Marium was undaunted. "You just never learn, do you? Well, I guess it makes sense, since you were once a wooden mannequin; a solid wooden mannequin with no brain in that thick head." She brought Wilfre close to her body in a fake embrace, more of the Shadow Goo beginning to cover him. After having to see it go this far, Sparky had no other choice, lifting the blade high and charging.

"LET WILFRE GO, YOU MANIACAL SPAWN OF SLY HAZARD!" he yelled with a deep glare, the reverb tint more noticable from the voice amplification. Marium saw this upfront engagement coming, using Wilfre's unconscious body to shield herself. Just as quickly, Sparky noticed, freezing in his assault before the blade could touch a hair of Wilfre's fur. Using this to her advantage, she molded her wings into a pair of fake arms, curling one into a fist and socking the Angel Hero right in the face, making him fly off a good distance before hitting the floor after a few unwanted topples. This didn't really harm him, so much as it merely dazed him.

As he used the sword to help him onto his feet again, Marium looked below her, seeing the sleeping Drew nearby. She quickly noticed the matching hairstyle between him and the Angel boy, smirking from another idea.

"Hey, Sparky," she whispered out as she looked at Sparky again, using the fake arm to grasp around Drew's neck, squeezing until he couldn't breathe, adding in a singsong manner, "I know about your dirty little secret...!" To her amazement, Sparky suddenly twitched in a painful manner, dropping his sword and gripping his throat in oxygen hunger. It was so strange, feeling this need in his Angel form, all just because the mortal Raposa body needed it even while sleeping.

"Let... Let go...!" he rasped with gags and gasps, falling to his knees, "He's not... I-Involved... In this...!"

"Afraid I can't do that," Marium replied smugly, not pausing on the squeezing while Drew ever so slowly flailed, and Wilfre continued being pulled in by the Shadow Goo, "It's amazing how desperate you were, Sparky. Perhaps you just couldn't handle being so POWERLESS to help them? Too bad it'll have to end this way."

The Angel had this time to think about what to do, whether to let her kill off the body and set him free, or to save it. He wasn't sure if he could handle losing Drew's body, however; he knew well that it was his one way of being with the others, as was the Creator's will. Not only this, but this suffocating torture made him so frightened, that he was beginning to believe he would actually _die_. At last, he made his decision, hesitantly letting go of his throat and grabbing his sword again.

Despite how much it would probably hurt Mari (if possible), he knew what he had to do.

There was a piercingly loud shriek, as Sparky charged once again and swung the blade, slicing the fake arm cleanly in half. Once the body of Drew was freed, the Shadow Goo became a harmless puddle, while Sparky brought Drew into his free arm and gained distance from both of Marium and the puddle. A few moments of Drew catching his breath later, Sparky felt more relaxed and safe, setting Drew down to further deal with Marium.

"You've gone too far Mari..." he started to say angrily, but couldn't help but calm himself as he still was able to see Mari underneath the Shadow Goo, "But I know this isn't like you, so I'm more than happy to forgive. Whoever you are controlling her, do you still think I won't harm you?" He stepped forward again while Marium was too busy seething in pain from her chopped fake arm. Not only was the pain itself of the arm being cut off was great, but the burning feeling at the tip of the leftover appendage only heightened it.

"It should only hurt you, and not Mari at all," he clarified when he was right in front of her, using his free arm and gripping the back of Wilfre's shirt, "That arm didn't even belong to her, either. I'm not as 'thick-headed' as you think..." He trailed off as he pulled, carefully however so the separation wasn't too drastic for both Wilfre and Marium. However, Marium let out a very annoyed hiss of fury, charging her remaining fake arm toward Sparky. He paused on the pull, swinging his blade again, the other fake arm being halved as well while Marium let out a second screech of pain. Sparky cringed from the noise, but resumed pulling Wilfre out, and eventually was successful.

The pain was enough for Marium to lose her senses, quickly reabsorbing both puddles of Shadow Goo, remorphing the arms back into wings and taking to the air, putting a hole on the ceiling as she did so. She quickly escaped, Sparky catching each piece of falling debris before they could've hit the sleeping Raposa around him. As he did this, he thought about how odd it was that they could sleep through all this, time slowed aside. He would've easily chased after her, mostly to convince her to not reveal his 'dirty little secret' as she put it, but he thought against it for a few reasons.

First was that he'd done enough roughhousing already and her loss of cool seemed to already prove that she wouldn't dare tell a soul. Second, to prove this point, time felt sped up again, but also back to how it normally was. Third... He dared not to leave the Raposas' side, wanting to wait for them all to awaken and be alert before even considering leaving them to themselves and an Amnesiac acting Drew. He brought all four of the bodies close to him, sitting around them in a huddle, none of which seeming to mind.

He glanced over at Samuel, whom was twitching lightly every so often. _I wonder how his epiphany dream is going, and what exactly makes it so special..._ Sparky wondered in his thoughts, _The Creator only said just that; She never told me anything more._ Moving his gaze, he noticed Wilfre seemed worried, even in his sleep. He repositioned him to where his head lay on one of Sparky's crossed legs, his hand gently petting along the back of his head.

"Everything's okay, Wilfre," Sparky whispered softly, "I'm right here, and you're all safe." Wilfre relaxed, and Sparky had another change of glance at Isaac, and he was curious all over again at whatever dreams that Raposa could be having. Though, he figured it wasn't any of his business anyway and left the thoughts alone. Finally, he looked at his Raposa body, still breathing normally. Good, since Sparky was now paranoid over the well-being of this body while being unable to control it.

Unknown to him, it wouldn't be until a few hours after the sunrise where one of the four would reawaken...


	41. 41 Of Blackest Hearts AND 42

**Please read before proceeding. This is very important.**

"It's been an understanding that it'd be a long time since I updated this story, many months in fact. I think a few of you may've already seen this coming, but I don't think I will be continuing [tFA] for a long while, if ever again.

I've drug it out too long, it's become boring and too tedious to continue work on, and I feel that not many would even miss it anyway. Thank you to those who've read it, who've reviewed kindly, and for those who've made fanart based off it. I do appreciate it.

Please don't expect another chapter from me. If there ever comes another chapter, continue not expecting another.

Thank you for your time, and thank you again for all you've done for the story."

-My dA journal concerning the matter

Those are my reasons for this. I was so afraid of something like this happening, that this will become like a lot of other fanfictions: unfinished, abandoned, hiatus, discontinued. I really wanted to finish this story and hoped it would go somewhere. Who knows; maybe I will get that inspiration again one day.

However, for a long while before coming to this conclusion, I had this completed chapter lying around. I feel like you all deserve to see the last of my writing. Thus, I have combined chapters 41 and 42 together, even though 42 is only, what, five paragraphs long? So, here we are.

Special thanks section:

_Jasmine  
><em>I owe it all to my girlfriend Jasmine, (InsanePumpkin) who sadly does not come to dA anymore; for if she had not gotten me into Drawn to Life, this story wouldn't have existed. I also thank her for supporting me and bitching at me to continue the story for as long as it had, AND for the beautiful fanart of two chapter events, as well as multiple Sly pictures. One more thing; thank you so much for enjoying my read-aloud of every chapter I've ever written before 42. I love you sixever, my keyheart loving ddrling!

_ASK-Wilfre_  
>This is quite surprising; Wilfre himself enjoyed this story for what it was worth. I thank you for that fact alone; it made me feel very happy. I'm aware how hard it must be to impress you. And don't worry - you <em>do<em> kick Sly's ass.

_StarblitzDragon_  
>Your chapter art was a blast, and a shame you haven't done any more. It's alright, you never had to in the first place. Thank you for those, as well as enjoying the story; it means a lot to me. Also, the Sly slinky joke - that's canon.<p>

_Cheylouwho  
><em>I remember the old days where you were a Heather/Wilfre fangirl, haha. Thanks for the support and allowing me to continue on through your stalking. I'm glad to have become friends with you. Also, I miss your Sock story.

_PrinceAdamThe3rd_  
>Your words to me, as well as to Jasmine, touched our hearts greatly, and you really do mean every word you say. It's also very cool how you like that "the best DtL artist" and "the best DtL writer" are a couple. Really, we're honored... And even more that you're our friend now, too. So thank you.<p>

_TimeSeerStudios  
><em>I'm going to say upfront that holy crap, thank you for the comic and fanart! Sure, you did get into the story when it was far already, but it was very good to know that you managed to trudge through 30+ chapters and keep up with the updates. The only thing I regret is that the last of my writing starts where you would've liked to see in full, uninterrupted length, of which you'll see soon.

_Bebuzzu1  
><em>Like I said before and so many times; thanks for the fanart you've done, and I'm sorry for being slow to realize you colored the dream scene fanart! I appreciate them all, as well as, of course, reading all that was there in the story.

_Emma_  
>No special thanks list would be complete without you, girl! Really, the content of your review made me think about things, as well as noticing that there were some unclear aspects, of which I hope are solved now. Sadly, I never did get around to fixing the Dr. Cure clarity issue... Whoops.<p>

_The Readers In General_  
>Thanks for everything through these two years of Raposa mayhem; I really do appreciate all the things you, the readers, have done for me. Whether it be a review, a follow, a piece of fanart, or the occasional stalking, every bit counted and made me feel like Drawn to Life could live on even stronger than it would before.<p>

Now, you may read, but just remember:

Don't lose hope.

* * *

><p>41. Of Blackest Hearts<p>

For the longest time, the four Raposa stood near the entrance of what used to be Village Hall, with Wilfre in the lead. The other three gripped their weapons tightly, fearing for the worst in the upcoming showdown with Queen Marium. Their bodies were terrified, their hearts heavy as they mustered the courage to proceed. Samuel warned Wilfre beforehand that once he opened the door, a giant, Shadow Gooed hand would try to grab him and everyone else. Thus, Wilfre held his sword steady as he recalled the information in his mind.

"She has the Book of Life," He spoke as he approached the door, "So be prepared for anything."

As the others could only nod, Wilfre proceeded, forcing the door open and saw the defending arms.

"Charge!" he yelled out as the others joined battle with him, decapitating the hands from the arms and rushing inside. They wasted no time as they sped through halls and doorways, obviously hinting that Marium used the Book of Life to alter the surroundings, much like when Click was corrupted. Of course, they didn't pay much attention to the scenery, instead fighting off any forces that came their way. What was unusual was how well even Drew was holding things off for himself, even trying to even the odds for the others. Given to him by Isaac, Drew was now using a yoyo-like slinger weapon, but of course shrunk down for his proportions.

While Samuel was confused by Drew's strange display of skill, Wilfre and Isaac didn't seem to notice.

_They know something about Drew,_ he gathered quickly, _Something that not even Sparky could tell me._ At this time however, he pushed the thoughts aside, as now was definitely not right.

After a near half-hour of scampering around and fighting the Shadow Gooed forces, the four finally reached a very large set of double doors. Without hesitation, Wilfre swiped his sword at the Shadow Goo lock, then pushing the doors open. From across the odd throne room, sat Queen Marium in her chair, alike before. However, this time, she'd been expecting them, her eyes showing no mood for jokes. She rose from her chair, Book of Life in paw. Whipping it open, she flung through page after page, before finding one she wanted, putting a paw onto the page.

"She... She is...!" Drew uttered to himself as they watched the Book start to glow black, before a corrupted version of something popped out. She shut the Book, setting it into her chair for a moment as she used both paws to wield the object. It didn't look much more like a gun of some sort, but what kind it was became clear once she aimed at Isaac, then fired. "Look out!" Drew called again, but this time in vain.

Isaac instinctively dove away from where she aimed, but it proved no use as suddenly he was trapped in a net. Marium didn't faze, proceeding to do the same with Drew and Samuel, until the three of them were all trapped in their nets. She tossed the gun away, it popping into thin air. It was finally then when her facial expression changed, but only showing disdain at the dumbfounded Wilfre before her. He was only able to watch the others struggle in their nets, but to no avail, his voice now dead in his throat.

"I've had enough of all this foolishness," Marium stated bitterly, hovering downward to pick up the Book of Life again before ascending once more. "It's time for me to take what's rightfully mine... _You_." With that, she flung to another page, doing as what was done before, this time the object being what appeared to be an icicle. In fact, many icicles appeared around her, all corrupted with Shadow Goo and all pointing according to her whim. Then, one after another shot downward, toward Wilfre. Using all of his instinct, Wilfre quickly dodged each one, even using his sword to deflect them to the best of his ability.

Eventually, Marium swooped downward with her icicles, wielding one in her free paw. When she approached, the other icicles missed their target, while Wilfre disarmed Marium's icicle, and even managed to hack at one of her wings. She let out a small shriek, ending up toppling to the floor, the Shadow Goo making up her wing reduce to a puddle. She didn't hesitate getting up, fury burning through her glowing white eyes. This time, she spawned tridents, oddly enough somewhat like how Wilfre once did years ago; however, the tridents spawned by abruptly stabbing out of the ground, each one getting closer to his position. He didn't let this get to him, running to avoid each one, although the barb of one tore through the sleeve of his shirt.

"Try to reach out to her!" Drew called out to him from his net, although he seemed to be trying more than the other three to escape, "Find some way to reach Mari... So you won't have to hurt her..." He trailed off afterward, Isaac and Samuel both eying him in a somewhat odd fashion, though Isaac let go of it quickly. From another part of the room, Wilfre heard the advice, getting an idea...

Overhead, he hadn't noticed that chandeliers had been spawned as well from the ceiling, quickly descending toward where he was. However, the gears of thought continued to churn inside of Wilfre as he was nearly in front of Marium now. She'd been so busy trying to overwhelm Wilfre that she didn't notice how closely he had gotten to her, and was thus surprised when her Shadowed paws suddenly were empty. She frantically searched around, as well as avoiding her own projectiles, but by the time she realized what had happened, Wilfre was far enough away to proceed. When their gazes locked, he began his plan.

"Look at me, I have the Book of Life!" he smirked to himself, opening the Book to a random page and seeing the drawing of a generic Baki, "Whatever will I, Wilfre, do with it?"

"You will drop that Book right now!" Marium growled viciously, padding forward toward him, "It belongs to ME!"

"Oh, I know!" Wilfre continued, as if not hearing her, "I'll draw something in it and see what pops out! Hm, what should I draw...? How about a ninja shark that shoots lasers?"

"DROP IT!" Marium yelled out this time, continuing to pad toward him, but was noticeably getting slower, as if she was struggling to take steps, "YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT HAPPENS!"

"The shark has to be classy, too..." Wilfre said this time, moving one of his paws around the page, pretending to draw, "Mystical, powerful, but also classy. He'll be the best Rapoing shark that ever lived-" He was stopped when Marium had cut him off. Looking over at her, the four of the Raposa watched as she put her paws on her head, growling in strain before the Shadow Goo exploded off of the body of Mari, alike before with Isaac. However, this wasn't the end of it as Mari charged forward angrily and pinned Wilfre to the wall by the throat. This caused him to drop the Book to the floor while he became dazed.

"How DARE you, Wilfre!" Mari yelled out at him, her voice filled with rage, "I thought we could trust you to help us! I can't believe you would just turn your back and-" Although Wilfre struggled somewhat to breathe, he wordlessly motioned for the Book below, causing Mari to look down at it. The open pages were still there, right where Wilfre had left it despite the fall. To her surprise, the Baki page he'd been running his paw over in a drawing fashion was completely unchanged. She let go of Wilfre to pick the Book up, confirming what she just saw.

"It was only to reach you, Mari," Wilfre said calmly after a few moments of breath, "I know better than to do it for real." Mari relaxed at this point, closing the Book with a small nod. Her facial expression almost appeared apologetic, though Wilfre didn't have to assume that could've been.

"I understand..." she spoke softly, "Let's get everyone out of those nets, and then we'll find Jowee. I know where she took him." This time, Wilfre nodded, and the two went back toward the other three to free them. Afterwards, Mari spoke again, this time her tone more saddened. "I hope you guys don't think I betrayed you again." Each of the boys shook their heads, Wilfre even giving a small smile of assurance.

"I have a feeling that Sly thought of the perfect bluff to convince you," he replied to her.

"He threatened to destroy the Book of Life, which would've then destroyed all of us," she murmured with a sigh afterward. "I couldn't say no to him after that..." The others grew surprised from the information, at first too stunned to speak, although Wilfre didn't seem too surprised.

"That's just awful!" Isaac responded in disgust, "That evil little motherrappoer got desperate, that's all it was! I bet even if you did say no, he would've forced you some other way, like he did to Mayor Click."

"No one can blame you for accepting his proposal," Samuel continued after Isaac had finished, "If anything at all, it proves that you care about everyone's safety."

"But Sly somehow knew that was her weakness," Drew pitched in, "And thankfully, his plan didn't work for long. Like Isaac said, he's getting desperate, but he's losing fast, too! So don't worry about it, Mari! You're still the same Mayor we- they know and love!" He'd caught himself just in time, adding a bit more words to cover his mistake, "And I don't think that'll change."

Mari caught the mistake, but let it go with a smile, one she hadn't made genuinely for a couple days. "Thanks, everyone," she said while she grinned, turning away and facing another door in the room. "I'm happy that you all understand. Now, let's get Jowee and fix this place! So long as there's Shadow Goo here, Village Hall won't return to normal." The others nodded in agreement, following her through the door ahead and down another hall, before approaching a staircase to the far right.

"Down these stairs, he should be in a capsule," Mari started again as they descended, "I don't exactly know why she did that, but that's what happened. Wilfre, as soon as we open that capsule, free Jowee from the Shadow Goo. He's been put under a smaller sleeping curse, so it should be easy. I remember that if the Shadow Goo covering him is destroyed, he'll wake up. There was another way that would wake him, but that part I don't remember at all..." She began to think about this while Wilfre and the others listened to those instructions. It didn't take them long before the stairs were passed, Mari opening a door for the other four. Though, something came to one of their minds.

"What happened to the Shadow Goo after you escaped?" Samuel questioned curiously. "Did it perish...?" The others quickly became curious themselves, wondering what happened to it.

"I... Maybe?" Mari shrugged, "I really don't know. Did any of you see what happened?"

"We were too focused on you and Wilfre," Isaac admitted with a small frown, before waving a paw. "I wouldn't worry about it, though. It's just a puddle of Shadow Goo, so we'll see it eventually." Mari wasn't sure about the answer, but nodded anyway, now near the capsule. The capsule itself had a glass, rounded top and was rectangular in shape, sitting in the middle of the room. Inside was a compact bed, and on top of it was Jowee, covered in Shadow Goo and sleeping like Mari had explained. Unknown to them, the puddle of Shadow Goo had followed, slinking into the room from the ceiling, until it was able to reach the capsule by trailing down the wall in front of it. The lighting was too poor for the Raposa to see any of this, unfortunately, so before long it was right behind the capsule, out of sight.

"There he is," Mari said as they were now in front of the capsule containing Jowee. "Now, we just need to open it. Of course, she put in a password..." Along the capsule was a small keypad, of which Mari began pushing the correct combination, which was quite long. While they were focused on that, the mold of Shadow Goo crept up the other side of the capsule, slipping into a secret slot that only it could fit into, edging through pipes until it reached the sleeping Raposa's space. Before Mari could enter the last number of the password, all the Raposa let out gasps of fright when they noticed the Shadowed eyes of Jowee opened.

"Why's he awake?" Drew yelled out while Jowee sat up from in the capsule, turning to face them with a twisted expression. "I thought he was supposed to be-!"

"I'm wide awake," Jowee murmured, the others being able to hear his tainted voice for the first time, "Let's see what this miserable boy can do!" Abruptly, his paws balled into fists, before punching them against the glass containing him, to which the Raposa stood back in fear. To Jowee's delight, a crack appeared upon the glass from the first punch.

"Jowee, stop!" Mari cried out to him, "You can't just-"

"Shut up!" Jowee snarled, cutting her off immediately. Afterward, he giggled to himself as he jabbed another, stronger punch against the glass, seeing the cracks become larger. "Sly, you're annoying, with all your whining. You aren't the boss of me." Mari wasn't sure what to say to him in response, so she simply kept quiet while Jowee eventually broke through the glass, his Shadowed arm sticking out of the hole he made before reeling it back in, making the hole bigger until he could escape altogether. "Aw yeah... That's the way!" It was at this moment that Wilfre gripped his sword tight, beginning to run toward him with anger in his eyes.

"Not so fast, Prettyboy!" Jowee cackled, quickly rising into the air and out of Wilfre's reach. "Don't think you can take me that easily. That wouldn't be any fun, would it?"

"I don't care if it's fun or not!" Wilfre replied tartly, "Come back here and fight me like a Raposa!" Jowee simply stuck his tongue out at Wilfre, before eying Mari again with his own escape plan.

"How about no?" With that, one of his arms grew outward, ending with a fake hand, large enough to grasp a Raposa. Afterwards, he continued, "Besides, I have a date!" Before the others could react, he extended the arm out until it grabbed Mari in it's hold, she letting out a shriek of fear. More fake arms drew from his back, using them to shove the Raposa aside with a sharp yell of "Outta my way, losers!" before speeding out of the room with Mari still in his hold, up the stairs and eventually out of Village Hall, all with flight. He didn't bother shutting the doors behind him, as the others simply watched the open door with agape, dazed expressions.

After a few moments, the four remaining Raposa began to stand once again. However, only Drew could speak out.

"What just happened...?"

They barely had any time to respond to Drew's question, as the entire Village Hall began to shake violently, as if it was hollow. It suddenly dawned on them that since Jowee possibly left the building in question, Village Hall was now being forced to revert to its normal state, and it also seemed unsafe to stick around while this transition went on.

"Everyone get out of here!" Wilfre was first to yell it out, while the others attempted to make their escape. However, Isaac was accidentally pushed aside, causing his glasses to fly off somewhere, leaving him blind. He instinctively bent down to find them, only for Wilfre to pull him up again and lead him out. In his panic, he failed to notice Isaac's lack of eye wear. "Come on, Isaac!"

"But my-"

"Not now!"

Their hurry was not for naught, as they made it outside and a fair distance away before the building fully began to revert, a good sign in hindsight but could've been quite troublesome and dangerous if they hadn't been so lucky to flee. While they were catching their breath, Wilfre was finally able to take a good look at Isaac, noticing now that he could see his freckles, of which was usually hidden with his glasses. Immediately Wilfre realized he'd been a bit hasty in forcing Isaac away, but at the same time, was thankful that they still escaped regardless.

"Sorry," Wilfre admitted, "I hope you have a spare..." Isaac tried to follow Wilfre's voice to look at him, but ended up looking at a tree. Wilfre had to turn him until he faced him.

"No worries," Isaac shrugged it off lightly, only able to look in the general direction, not able to distinguish much of any shapes, "I do have spares. A few, actually. ...Someone would need to help me get to them, though."

"Done!" Drew volunteered, lifting an arm high in the air with a cheerful smile, "If no one minds, that is."

Isaac chuckled this time, replying with "Sure, Drew." Meanwhile, Samuel looked upwards to the sky, before realizing that something was very, very wrong.

"Look up there!" he pointed, while everyone else (excluding Isaac) followed where Samuel pointed, and up in the air was Jowee, who was still carrying Mari in his fake hand. He was up far too high to be reached, so all they could do was watch in horror as his fake hand's grip changed so that it was only holding the top half of her head. She let out a scared wail and fidgeted while Shadow Goo from the hand trailed over her face, before forcing her to stop all her actions, now just still and limp. Perfect.

"Let's make my pad much more suitable," he smirked after Mari pulled out the Book of Life, flipping through the pages, "Hmm... Oh, let's make it float off the ground!" Mari stopped at a certain page, putting her paw upon it while the Book began to glow white, rather than black like before. Cracks around the ground surrounding Jowee's house began to appear, before they intertwined, the big chunk of land splitting from the rest of the ground, carrying the building with it. "Now, how about we change up the interior too, Mayor? You remember how lame my pad was, right?" A pause as he made Mari nod silently in agreement. "Right. Let's fix that up, and then we'll have that little date. After all, tomorrow is this hot-shot's birthday!"

With that, Jowee, while still carrying Mari, flew off and bolted into his now floating home. While most of the Raposa could hardly make out anything that he'd been saying, it was only the blinded Isaac who made all the words out better.

"That poor excuse of a Raposa!" he blurted angrily, "Shadow Gooed or not, that Rapo is beginning to work my last nerve with such arrogant talk!" Wilfre chuckled awkwardly, patting Isaac's shoulder in order to calm him.

"The boy _is_ Shadow Gooed," he tried to reason lightly, "We all know Jowee's not that immature at heart."

"It appears more as if the Shadow Goo is manipulating Jowee's deepest emotions and desires," Samuel mused, still bearing a calm expression as he faced the other Raposa around him, "Have you all not noticed that each piece of Shadow Goo to corrupt us was different from each other?"

As Drew and Isaac had little experience, only Wilfre was the first to notice the trend Samuel was asking about. "That's very true, Samuel. In fact, if I have this right..." Wilfre paused to think for a moment, before continuing, "Sometimes, the pieces would reflect something deep inside their host, while others didn't have any sort of pattern."

"Yes, and in this case..." Samuel looked back upward at Jowee's floating home, "Both Mari and Jowee shared such a similar pattern. Mari, as Marium, proclaiming herself 'Queen', acting so confidant in her power and yet, admittedly intimidating. As for Jowee, the piece is using his emotions for power, and his deep desires to motivate his behavior. Both have reflected emotional conflicts within themselves, and portraying what they wish to be or to have, in a negative light."

"... Jowee's being controlled by Mari's Shadow Goo, isn't he?" Drew quietly added, after which a period of silence broke through. "But... Doesn't that also mean Jowee's stronger because of both his and Mari's joined pieces of Shadow Goo?"

"Oh, Creator..." Wilfre groaned in this realization, ears drooped in what felt like impending doom, "Jowee's the second 'Miney'..."

"Well, let's slow down a little," Isaac replied to Wilfre, his paw blindly searching for Wilfre's shoulder, "For starters, we have to find out how to get up there. And even before _that_, I'd much like my spare pair of glasses."

* * *

><p>"Sandbox...?" Dr. Cure couldn't help but question as they neared the town and read the sign at the entrance. "That's a strange name for a village."<p>

Zsasha couldn't help but nod in agreement, the two of them entering together, the town square directly nearby. "That's the reason why people think this place is a myth; it's always mistaken for something else." he replied to her. The winds seemed never-ending as they neared the square, a large fountain sitting in the center. Oddly enough, it wasn't running, and the areas that would've had water in it were completely dry. Zsasha frowned at the sight. "Looks like Sandbox went from bad to worse while I was gone... This fountain is never off, not even during Winter. It's a lot like the Eternal Flame back in your Village; the stronger it runs, the more prosperous we are."

"I see..." Dr. Cure mused, frowning as well as she looked into the fountain, using a paw to feel around the inside. "It appears that it hasn't been running for a long time. As much as I would've loved to help it work again, we just aren't here for that."

"I know..." Zsasha responded, before getting a small idea. "Y'know, before we find my family and deal with what I've done, maybe you'd like a small tour of this place?" Dr. Cure giggled this time, before nodding a little.

"Alright, alright," she answered, letting him lead her away from the fountain, "But only a small tour. The others will be wondering what's taking us so long!" Zsasha gained a hopeful grin, starting along his way with a sincere nod. It didn't take them long before they approached a large building along with a playground, separated with a fence.

"I would've gone to school here if it was running," Zsasha said as they looked into the area, "Instead, now the young Raposa need to be home-schooled, if it can be afforded. Nowadays, only the playground is used." He paused to think about the memories that drifted by, smiling a bit in bittersweet bliss. Though, he decided not to dwell on it, instead heading away from the area and headed into another, just adjacent from the fence. It looked like a thin street, with a few stalls on each side. Even fewer Raposa were in there, none of which however recognizing them.

"This was where the market is, or well... Um, sort of," Zsasha stuttered as he examined the street, entering it with Dr. Cure in tow, "There used to be more stalls than this... But I would've thought things would be better since I left..." Zsasha's ears drooped from thinking about this, while Dr. Cure frowned.

"Don't think like that," she stated soon afterward, "Regardless of what you did, what happened here couldn't be helped."

"I guess..." Zsasha sighed afterward, beginning to notice how unrecognized he was from the other Raposa, which felt odd as he knew for sure he had been a wanted criminal for a long time now. "A-Anyway, the best way to earn any money here was to sell homemade items, such as blankets or clothes." This time, Dr. Cure didn't have anything to say as they ventured down the street, the breeze somehow less obstructive than it was before, but still was neverending.

Such as life in the Land of the Eastern Winds.

Later found them around the town square once again, with Zsasha nervously scanning the houses as he pretended to not know where his old residence was. Although he was sure that Dr. Cure wasn't fooled at all by the ruse, he knew he had to have the courage to face his family, as well as pay for his past crimes. But what frightened him wasn't just seeing them again, although he realized that situation would be awkward enough; what truly scared him was if his family rejected him and wished for him to leave, perhaps going as far as to claim he wasn't part of the family at all-

He froze when Dr. Cure put a paw on his shoulder, causing him to gasp out in surprise. Turning to face her, he noticed her expression was one of understanding; she was able to see his tension and fear.

"Relax, Zsasha," she softly spoke, seeing him look away in shame, "I know you're afraid of how they'll react to seeing you. But if you don't go and see now, you'll continue carrying the burden of wondering. You need to do this, so you can move on. I'm right here with you, so take it easy, and face them." Zsasha thought about what he was told, even while looking away from her gaze. Finally, he took a deep breath, alike when they were on one of the many bridges, before he looked at her once again with a small nod, even though inside he was still very terrified of what could happen.

This time, however, he forced himself to head directly to where his house was in the town, not taking long this time in finding it. The two stood nearby the front door of the small building. Dr. Cure began to recall that Zsasha mentioned a large family, so she wondered how in the world would such a family be able to reside in such a small place. However, she knew better than to comment, keeping her thoughts to herself as Zsasha felt too frozen to move. Although, the two noticed that things were unusually quiet.

"This has to be the house," Zsasha finally said, though hesitantly. "But I don't remember it being so quiet inside..."

"Well, only one way to find out," was Dr. Cure's response, nudging the younger Raposa forward, "Go on. We came this far; don't give up now!" Zsasha once again looked upon the door of his old home, taking another deep breath and relaxing from Dr. Cure's words. He took another few steps forward until he was directly in front of the door, balling a paw into a fist, and lightly knocked.

_Here goes nothing, _he thought to himself.

* * *

><p>42. Risk For Survival<p>

"Sly's gone!" One of the Raposa yelled out, causing the rest to break down their cage walls with a furious yell of triumph. "Everyone, run! Protect the Rapos! Leave no one behind!" Shadow Creatures were in awe and shock when they heard and fell victim to the rebellious Raposa stampede, each with their means of defense. Try as they might, each disappeared almost as quickly as if the Creation Hero would've from how outnumbered they were, the fleeing Raposa posing no hesitation.

Wraiths and Walkers fared slightly better, with their stronger endurance, yet even they were not much of a threat toward the many angry, protective Raposa.

With Indee in the lead, they padded quickly down corridors, using the quickest route possible to the back door that was spoken of before. With one paw holding onto Reece's, he whipped another nearby Walker cleanly in half with his trusty whip. "These Shadow Creatures aren't so tough!" he smirked to himself in a smug manner, while his son looked on in admiration, which swelled Indee's ego slightly more, "I've fought against Raposkeletons stronger than this!"

"Don't let your pride get to your head just yet," Unagi calmly replied from nearby, his paw reaching out to Cindi's, "Despite Sly's absence, the situation is not Banya green until we rendezvous at the Village, and make more plans of a-"

"Oh, would you just relax already?" Indee rolled his eyes as he continued to lead, "Some brainless Shadow Creatures up against an expert adventurer, a secret agent at the top of his class, a chef who knows his way with a frying pan, a vampire, and Creator knows who else!" Unagi didn't answer this time, while the two saw the Vampire in question speed past them in what appeared to be a blinded fury. Riding on his back was Andy, who somehow didn't seem too frightened of the scenario going on; in fact, he seemed more to be cheering Count Choco on...

* * *

><p>And this is the last of my writing. Once again, thanks for everything, everyone! I really do appreciate it!<p> 


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